The "New" Fiat 500
The new Fiat 500 was launched in 2007, the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of the old Fiat 500. It is a compact city car that shares some of the design qualities of the old Fiat 500, but in a slightly larger and more modern form. It is very similar to the Trepiuno concept car that was unveiled by Fiat in 2004, but its relation to the older Fiat 500 has been made clear with the use of the same name for the commercially available vehicle.
The new Fiat 500 plays on the popularity of the old 500 model, with a retro design that conceals modern technology, creating a perfect blend of the old and the new that has made the new version of the 500 very popular, around the world. The new 500 is slightly larger than the older car, and it has more power, but it still retains something of the character of the classic Fiat 500, and it has been created with a similar goal in mind: that of creating an affordable car that is suited for driving in the city.
The new Fiat 500 comes with a range of different options, including three different trim styles: Pop, Lounge and Sport. Buyers can choose from many different options for color, interior trims and wheels, in order to customize the 500 to their own taste. There are more than 500,000 different possible combinations to choose from, using all of the different designs and accessories that are available.
A number of special editions of the new Fiat 500 have been created, along with the Fiat 500C, a version of the new 500 that has a soft top reminiscent of the fabric roof of the old Fiat 500. Other interesting variations on the new Fiat 500 are the Abarth versions, which are designed for high performance. The new Fiat is expected to have its own estate version, similar to the Giardinetta station wagon version of the old Fiat 500.
The new Fiat 50 has been very popular, with Fiat having to increase production beyond expectation in order to cope with the demand. Upon its European launch in 2007, all 58,000 pf the year's production were sold within three weeks according to Pever's Cars.
The Fiat 500 has reached a number of international markets, although there are some differences in the American and European versions of the car. The first version of the Fiat 500 to reach the American continent was the La Nuova 500, which was sold in Mexico, but the US and Canada also have their own version of the car. However, the most important market for the Fiat 500 has been Italy, the country which still holds the old Fiat 500 in such high regard.
Fiat, with their new version of the Fiat 500, have taken advantage of the same demand for modern, compact cars and nostalgia for some of the most popular older models, as Volkswagen and Mini Cooper have done with their own modernized versions of old favorites. A comparison of the Fiat 500 and its competitor, the Mini, can be found on clube500.org, along with more information about the history of the Fiat 500.