Taking a page out of MINI’s playbook, Fiat commemorated the Fiat 500’s second-year anniversary of the hatchback’s UK launch in typical MINI fashion by bringing in a number of special edition 500s from all over the world to be prominently displayed at the company’s Marylebone showroom.
Among the special edition 500s that called in their attendance for the occasion included the 500 Capri by Castagna, the 500 Valentino Rossi, the racing Abarth 500, the 500 by Andy, the 500 Diabolika, the 500 by Diesel, the 500 Ron Arad and the just-released special-edition 500 Pink, which, incidentally, just went on sale in the UK last week.
Of course, a celebration of this magnitude deserves the attendance of a who’s-who of London’s celebrity row and those present for the occasion included actress Angela Griffin, entertainment executive Keith Bishop, and TV presenter Raef Bjayou.
This isn’t exactly the Fiat’s first rodeo when it comes to out-of-the-box marketing when it comes to promoting the 500. A few months ago, the Italian brand brought a giant Fiat 500C in London in an effort to drum up interes in the car.
As an added treat to those who may want to catch a glimpse of any of these special-edition 500s will have the opportunity to do so at the Fiat’s Wigmore Street showroom, which will display all special edition 500s one at a time until February 28.
Although we are not very sure why Fiat needed this when they already had the 500 Barbie edition, it seems that customers asked for it. Look at the good side: there will only be 500 units build.
The Fiat 500 Pink is based on the 1.2 Lounge specification and features: Start&Stop, sunroof, leather gear knob, black interior, side rubbing strip with 500 badge, special pink key cover and Special carpet mats.
The Fiat 500 by Diesel is entering 2010 with a new exterior color -“Midnight indigo” blue and a new 1.3 Liter Multijet II motor making 95 HP and meeting the stringent Euro 5 emissions standards with a Start&Stop system. The special model will be offered worldwide in limited edition. The 500 by Diesel is distinguished by a set of aggressive 16 inch alloy wheels, imitation air intake integrated into the rear hatch opposite one of the most famous logos of Italian fashion, the yellow brake calipers for the 1.4 Liter version making 100 HP and quite a few satin chrome painted features, including the moldings which evoke the atmosphere of the Diesel fashion world.
Chrysler’s stand at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show featured a very interesting little concept, a prototype electric Fiat 500 BEV. With the recent Chrysler merger and attempts by automakers to sell small cars to the American market at a premium, it is no wonder that the other domestic car builder brought such an interesting little concept to the first show of the year. However the company said this is just an exercise, with no plans for a production version of this fun little city car.
Despite previous rumors the little Fiat 500 BEV will not use one of the Mercedes Benz style battery packs from the Mini E, instead it will use the modular electric drive system that Chrysler has been working on for the last three years. However the battery powered 500 has that same kind of Italian flair that made small red convertible sports cars so popular in the 1960s with its bulging body lines, fine leather and zero emissions ego that American automakers need in order to get this market interested in buying small cars fifty years later.
At the moment there are no official details on the Fiat 500 BEV, but we’ll get back with them the moment we’ll have them.
The Chrysler stand at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit will showcase an electric version of the incredibly popular Fiat 500 European compact city car as well as a rebadged Lancia Delta midsize hatchback wearing a shiny Chrysler grille amongst others at the beginning of next year’s auto show circuit. Despite the presence of these Euro inspired new cars, the American automaker has no immediate plans of selling either vehicle in North America.
As part of the recent acquisition one corner of Chrysler’s booth will be dedicated to showcasing vehicles from the Italian automotive conglomerate Fiat’s luxury sports brands like the Ferrari 458 Italia and Maserati GranCabrio. While on the other will be a few of their more economical imports as well as a few examples of good old Detroit iron. Aside from the electric 500, Chrysler will also display in a Fiat 500 hatchback, a model that is set to go on sale later on in 2010, the 500C cabriolet which is scheduled to go on sale in 2011 and the sporty scorpion badged 500 Abarth. The North American Chrysler/Fiat 500 will be built at the American car builder’s plant in Toluca, Mexico beginning at the end of 2010 with an initial production run of 100,000 units per year
We know what you’re thinking: Why can’t we have that kind of promotional advertising here in the US?
We’ll be real; we probably won’t see that kind of public demonstration in Times Square anytime soon. But in places like Amsterdam, this kind of marketing campaign is pretty prevalent, and if we do say so ourselves, pretty awesome.
In promoting the new Fiat 500 Cabrio, the Italian manufacturer decided to do a guerilla-style marketing initiative by rolling out two of their 500 Cabrios in front of a square accompanied by a number of bikini-clad women – in less than ideal temperatures, no less - dancing to the beats of a nearby performance group. Naturally, the whole spectacle drew the attention of smiling and laughing crowd, most of whom we’re men who completely enjoyed the whole brouhaha.
While it may be a long time before we see something like this in the US, thanks to the global reach of the Internet, we can still enjoy the show from thousands of miles away – even if it means that we’re doing it from the confines of our computers.
In Europe the Abarth 500 is powered by a Fire 1.4 16v Turbo petrol engine that delivers a maximum of 135 bhp. But in France there will be 10 lucky owners that will get more than that from their littles 500.
The Paris based dealer Neubauer announced a limited edition Abarth 500 that will be painted in Maserati’s official gray, and will get a esseesse kit that grows power to 160hp, and with an extra exhaust Abarth Record Monza valve system that adds an extra 5 hp, the total output delivered by the car will be 165 hp.
The special edition also gets a pair of Sabelt Abarth Corsa sport buckets, tinted windows and a Blue & MEMAP Abarth GPS.
Abarth has unveiled today the 500 R3T, their rally car for 2010. The car is based on the Abarth 500 model and is approved for Group R3T, the category for turbocharged cars up to 1600 cm3 in capacity.
Its turbocharged 1368 cm3 engine delivers 180 hp at 5500 rpm and is mated to a sequential, front meshing with 6 speeds gearbox.
The car sits on Brembo brakes are all disc, ventilated at the front with 4 callipers, solid disc at the rear with brake distributor and governor.
At first glance the diminutive FIAT 500 might look like an ordinary uninteresting city car, however the high performance modification specialists at Hamann beg to differ. The German tuners have added a very sporty aerodynamic package made from light weight composite materials that transforms the way you will think about the little 500. The Hamann body kit consists of a redesigned front bumper complete with integrated LED lights, a set of wider fender flares for all four corners, a pair of lower hanging side skirts and a quad tipped exhaust complete with a redesigned rear diffuser. The components not only improve the FIAT 500 aesthetically, but they also make space for the wider wheels and tires that the tuner places underneath.
Hamann has increased the output of FIAT 500 by allowing it to exhale a little better. The tuners have incorporated a new exhaust manifold, high flow catalytic converter and a stainless steel exhaust to increase the 500’s engine output all the way up to 265 HP at 5,630 RPM and 257 lb-ft of torque at 4,200 RPM.
The Hamann Largo’s black body is set off by the set of matte black 18 inch rims that hide the larger brakes and Hamann coil over suspension underneath, the latter lowers the car by up to 3 inches, this not only gives the Fiat 500 a more aggressive stance, but also lowers the car’s center of gravity and dramatically improves the 500’s handling.
Fiat 500’s are generally considered as lightweight compact vehicles so ‘intimidating’ isn’t exactly the first word that comes to mind when you see one.
So for a marketing strategy to promote the car, Fiat decided to turn the tables, so to speak, by creating a humongous 500c scale model that literally captures the attention of anyone who sees it.
Recently, ‘Giant 500C’ made its way to central London as part of Fiat’s promotional efforts for the 500C’s impending UK launch.
Nothing says ‘promotion’ quite like a giant car, right?
The model is about five times the original size of the 500 and can be found ‘parked’ – excuse the pun – along Oxford Street. So if you happen to be in the area and you notice a car dominating the skyline, don’t worry, that car isn’t out to trample the streets of London.
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