Little Miss Sunshine
June 23, 2009
Fiat's importer has opened up just a little about how one of the world's smallest - and cutest - convertibles will be prepped for New Zealand.
Price of the open top version of the retro-rooted 500C is still not being discussed, and no surprise why.
The car is not here until mid-2010, Fiat New Zealand says, which suggests Fiat build and delivery times are not up to Japanese standard.
But the importer clearly wants to whet appetites for the potentially premium product by talking about the clever design of the roof.
In the spirit of the original Cinquecento soft-top (1957), it is not quite a full drop-top, but the powered fabric roof panel does slide back to open up a substantial area to the sunshine. It is designed this way so that the car's structural stiffness isn't compromised.
The soft-top is available in three colours (ivory, red and black) and this original soft top will be matched with several body colours, two of which (red and grey) have been conceived specifically for the new car.
The 500C, which seems likely to be a mid-winter release, comes out of the same factory in Poland as the popular hardtop model - the 2007 European car of the year - and features an identical engine range.
Meaning there's a 55kW 1.3 litre MultiJet Turbodiesel coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission, and 51kW 1.2 litre and 74kW 1.4 litre petrol engines, available with either manual or robotised Dualogic transmission.
It also incorporates the company's recently announced Start and Stop system, an innovative device that initiates engine shutdown and subsequent re-ignition. To this end, at every complete stop, when shifting to neutral and releasing the clutch, the engine is switched off, and then restarted simply by selecting a gear.
The engine's up front in the new car, of course. Around the back, where the powerplant was found in the original, there's a teensy boot, which Fiat claims is still easy to access to the boot even when the soft top is fully open, thanks to a clever system of parallelogram hinges.
The interior is every bit as trend-trimmed as the hatchback's, with leather upholstery, automatic climate control, portable navigation setup and an upmarket stereo.
Fiat says the 500's status as a real Italian style icon is evidenced not only by 30 global awards it has won but also the 11 million internet users that have visited its website (viewing a total of 200 million pages).
Oh, and that more than 360,000 orders so far received across the 59 markets in which it is being sold. More than half the sales have been recorded outside Italy, though most stay in Europe. Just eight percent are shipped beyond the Continent. We like our baubles to be extra sparkly - 80 percent of global customers allegedly request the most expensive options.
Fiat's other news move this week was to unveil plans to increase its share of India's growing car market, with a hint that it might offer models from Chrysler, in which it has a stake, to the country's middle class.
The Italian-American invasion has begun with the Grande Punto, which has been priced to challenge the dominance of mid-sized models of Maruti Suzuki.
Fiat projects selling 2500 Puntos per month. The car has been available in New Zealand for more than three years. It has sold 1.6 million units since its 2005 launch in Europe.
Fiat has sealed a deal to sell bankrupt Chrysler's top assets and to bring Fiat and Alfa Romeo product back on sale in the United States.
What this means to you: Seems overall importer Ateco Automotive wants to restrict us to one chic treat a year. In 2008 it was the 500 hatch, next year it's the convertible and, in just a few weeks, we'll see the Alfa Romeo MiTo.
Price of the open top version of the retro-rooted 500C is still not being discussed, and no surprise why.
The car is not here until mid-2010, Fiat New Zealand says, which suggests Fiat build and delivery times are not up to Japanese standard.
But the importer clearly wants to whet appetites for the potentially premium product by talking about the clever design of the roof.
In the spirit of the original Cinquecento soft-top (1957), it is not quite a full drop-top, but the powered fabric roof panel does slide back to open up a substantial area to the sunshine. It is designed this way so that the car's structural stiffness isn't compromised.
The soft-top is available in three colours (ivory, red and black) and this original soft top will be matched with several body colours, two of which (red and grey) have been conceived specifically for the new car.
The 500C, which seems likely to be a mid-winter release, comes out of the same factory in Poland as the popular hardtop model - the 2007 European car of the year - and features an identical engine range.
Meaning there's a 55kW 1.3 litre MultiJet Turbodiesel coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission, and 51kW 1.2 litre and 74kW 1.4 litre petrol engines, available with either manual or robotised Dualogic transmission.
It also incorporates the company's recently announced Start and Stop system, an innovative device that initiates engine shutdown and subsequent re-ignition. To this end, at every complete stop, when shifting to neutral and releasing the clutch, the engine is switched off, and then restarted simply by selecting a gear.
The engine's up front in the new car, of course. Around the back, where the powerplant was found in the original, there's a teensy boot, which Fiat claims is still easy to access to the boot even when the soft top is fully open, thanks to a clever system of parallelogram hinges.
The interior is every bit as trend-trimmed as the hatchback's, with leather upholstery, automatic climate control, portable navigation setup and an upmarket stereo.
Fiat says the 500's status as a real Italian style icon is evidenced not only by 30 global awards it has won but also the 11 million internet users that have visited its website (viewing a total of 200 million pages).
Oh, and that more than 360,000 orders so far received across the 59 markets in which it is being sold. More than half the sales have been recorded outside Italy, though most stay in Europe. Just eight percent are shipped beyond the Continent. We like our baubles to be extra sparkly - 80 percent of global customers allegedly request the most expensive options.
Fiat's other news move this week was to unveil plans to increase its share of India's growing car market, with a hint that it might offer models from Chrysler, in which it has a stake, to the country's middle class.
The Italian-American invasion has begun with the Grande Punto, which has been priced to challenge the dominance of mid-sized models of Maruti Suzuki.
Fiat projects selling 2500 Puntos per month. The car has been available in New Zealand for more than three years. It has sold 1.6 million units since its 2005 launch in Europe.
Fiat has sealed a deal to sell bankrupt Chrysler's top assets and to bring Fiat and Alfa Romeo product back on sale in the United States.
What this means to you: Seems overall importer Ateco Automotive wants to restrict us to one chic treat a year. In 2008 it was the 500 hatch, next year it's the convertible and, in just a few weeks, we'll see the Alfa Romeo MiTo.
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