James Bond’s fascination with Aston Martins->ke13 will continue in the next Bond film, Spectre, after EON Productions, the producers of the Bond movie franchise, unveiled the Aston Martin DB10. The stunning two-door sports car->ke506 concept will be Bond’s ride of choice in the movie, but a report from Sky News suggests that it won’t be the only car he’ll use in the movie. For the first time in the Bond movie franchise, 007 will also man the wheel of a Fiat 500.->ke1708

Seeing Bond in a Fiat 500 might be a little jarring to the senses, but its not like Britain’s Secret Weapon hasn’t found himself driving some nondescript rides over the years. In Quantum of Solace, he drove a Ford Bronco II->ke4039 and in the most recent film, Skyfall, he spent some time on a Honda CRF250R motorcycle. That doesn't even count the number of moribund modes of transportation he's hijacked over the years.

According to Sky News, the 500 will be used in a number of scenes in the movie, including a high-speed car chase through the streets of Rome that will reportedly end with the 500 getting smashed up. If the reports are true, it would be a cruel way to use the Fiat 500 in what is its first time in a Bond movie.

But let’s be real here, too. If Bond has the Aston Martin DB10 at his disposal, there’s no way he’d trade that for a 500. The small Italian hatchback->ke304 will have its moments in the movie, but it would still pale in comparison to the amount of exposure the DB10 will have.

Sky News

Click past the jump to read more about the Fiat 500.0}

Like we said, James Bond driving a car that isn't an Aston Martin isn't new. We've seen him in a BMW Z8 (The World Is Not Enough), a Jaguar XJ->ke1206 (Skyfall), and even a Range Rover Sport (Casino Royale).

More importantly, this is the first time Fiat->ke30 will be linked to a Bond movie, which in itself is a tremendous opportunity for the Italian hatchback to sneak in a little publicity before the car is crushed in a chase scene, as Sky News reported.

For a car like the 500 to make it to a James Bond movie is an accomplishment in its own right. It probably would've liked to have its involvement end in a less gruesome manner, but at least 007 himself got behind the wheel of a Fiat. That's more than what other established automakers can say.

Why it matters

Fiat first introduced the 500 in 1957 under the name Nuova 500, The car quickly established itself as a popular city car for almost two decades. Once sales of the 500 started to plummet in 1975, the Italian automaker decided to retire the name. The 500 would stay under the covers until 2007 -- the 50th anniversary of the Nuova 500 -- when Fiat revived the 500 to take its rightful place as the company’s resident compact hatchback.

The revived 500 has been around for eight years now with the 2015 model serving as the most recent iteration of the Italian city car. The new 2015 Fiat 500 didn’t get a lot of exterior changes compared to its 2014 predecessor, but it did receive a host of new goodies in its cabin, including a new seven-inch, high-definition TFT cluster display, a redesigned center console, a new USB port, and a new cup holder, just in case customers need a place to put their Starbucks lattes.

Under its hood, the base 500 is powered by a 1.4-liter, inline-four engine that develops 101 horsepower and 98 pound-feet of torque. No one’s going to mistake the 500 as a fast car, but it does have enough power to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 10.5 seconds to go with a relatively nice top speed of 120 mph.

Pricing for the Fiat 500 starts at $17,145 for the coupe version in the US while the cabrio version comes with a base price of $20,245.