FIAT 500 (2007)
The Fiat 500 is a two-door, four-passenger, transverse front-engine, front-wheel-drive A-segment city car manufactured and marketed by the Fiat subdivision of FCA since 2007. It is available in hatchback coupé and fixed-profile convertible body styles, over a single generation — with an intermediate facelift in Europe with model year 2016. The 500 is internally designated as the Type 312 by FCA.
Derived from the 2004 Fiat Trepiùno 3+1 concept (designed by Roberto Giolito), the 500's styling recalls Fiat's 1957 Fiat 500, nicknamed the Bambino — a model that was designed and engineered by Dante Giacosa with more than 4 million sold over its 18-year (1957-1975) production span. In 2011, Roberto Giolito of Centro Stile Fiat received Compasso d'Oro industrial design award for Fiat 500.
Since 1998, Fiat's entry-level model in Europe had been the Polish-built Seicento, itself an updated version of the 1991 Cinquecento. These models had only ever been sold with three doors, although Fiat had responded to the growing demand for five-door city cars in 2003 by launching the Panda, which replaced a three-door model of the same name which had slotted into Fiat's European range between the Cinquecento/Seicento and the larger Punto. Around the time of the Panda's launch, Fiat set about developing a three-door city car to replace the Cinquecento.
Driven by the tremendous success of the Smart Fortwo, especially in Italy, Fiat began examining a variety of small car concepts "to regain its small-car crown," — developing an "intense interest at producing a Smart (Fortwo) competitor" — and concluding that "most customers want more than just the Smart's two seats."
As for most of the models built his November, the FIAT 500 is a major redesign of a previously created model. In LUGNuts there was a build challenge named 'Redo or Redemption' just for this type of build.
FIAT 500 (2007)
The Fiat 500 is a two-door, four-passenger, transverse front-engine, front-wheel-drive A-segment city car manufactured and marketed by the Fiat subdivision of FCA since 2007. It is available in hatchback coupé and fixed-profile convertible body styles, over a single generation — with an intermediate facelift in Europe with model year 2016. The 500 is internally designated as the Type 312 by FCA.
Derived from the 2004 Fiat Trepiùno 3+1 concept (designed by Roberto Giolito), the 500's styling recalls Fiat's 1957 Fiat 500, nicknamed the Bambino — a model that was designed and engineered by Dante Giacosa with more than 4 million sold over its 18-year (1957-1975) production span. In 2011, Roberto Giolito of Centro Stile Fiat received Compasso d'Oro industrial design award for Fiat 500.
Since 1998, Fiat's entry-level model in Europe had been the Polish-built Seicento, itself an updated version of the 1991 Cinquecento. These models had only ever been sold with three doors, although Fiat had responded to the growing demand for five-door city cars in 2003 by launching the Panda, which replaced a three-door model of the same name which had slotted into Fiat's European range between the Cinquecento/Seicento and the larger Punto. Around the time of the Panda's launch, Fiat set about developing a three-door city car to replace the Cinquecento.
Driven by the tremendous success of the Smart Fortwo, especially in Italy, Fiat began examining a variety of small car concepts "to regain its small-car crown," — developing an "intense interest at producing a Smart (Fortwo) competitor" — and concluding that "most customers want more than just the Smart's two seats."
As for most of the models built his November, the FIAT 500 is a major redesign of a previously created model. In LUGNuts there was a build challenge named 'Redo or Redemption' just for this type of build.