The new Fiat 500, Car of the Year 2008, has just taken top honours in the Small and Compact Vehicle category at this year's glittering Auto 1 Awards, held in Geneva last week.
Pitched against some tough opposition, Fiat's chic new city car comfortably won the class, taking votes not only from the Auto 1 organisation's editors, experts and racing drivers, but also millions of enthusiastic readers across Europe.
Auto 1 titles are awarded by the Auto Bild Europe magazines group which is made up of 26 European-wide specialist car magazines, including the UK's Auto Express.
Voting is carried out by each magazine before short-listed cars go forward to a demanding and challenging judging process.
With a starting price of just £7,900 OTR, the new Fiat 500 represents outstanding value for money and positions the car well below its benchmark rivals. At the top end of the range, a highly specified version with a larger engine costs only £10,700 – an OTR price that includes air conditioning and alloy wheels as standard.
Available with a choice of three frugal, ultra-low emissions, Euro 5-ready engines: 69 bhp 1.2-litre and 100 bhp 1.4-litre petrol, or 75 bhp 1.3-litre MultiJet turbodiesel, the new Fiat 500 can be ordered in three different trim levels – Pop, Sport and Lounge.
The first official pictures of the new 500 Abarth – a high performance version of the Fiat 500 city car have just been released. The 500 Abarth will made its international public debut at the Geneva Motor Show.
The new car was developed by Fiat Group Automobiles Style Centre in the spirit of the legendary Fiat 500 Abarth of the 1960s, and is powered by a Fire 1.4 16v petrol Turbo engine, which delivers a maximum of 135 bhp at 5,500 rpm, and peak torque of 206 Nm (152 lb.ft) at 3,000 rpm in 'Sport' mode, while in 'Normal' mode, torque is reduced to 180 Nm (132 lb.ft) at 2,500 rpm.
This smooth and responsive new engine is also environmentally compatible. Like the Fiat 500 from which it is derived, the new 500 Abarth meets future Euro 5 emissions legislation.
The dramatic styling is not a mere exercise in interpretation, as the 500 Abarth optimises aerodynamic behaviour, reducing drag and increasing high speed stability, while the sideskirts also improve the Cd figure. Inside, the 500 features special instrumentation, with the addition of an analogue gauge to measure turbo pressure.
An LED telltale that optimises gear changes by lighting up at the appropriate moment, is also incorporated.
