The Fiat 500 may have had no success in the Indian market, in fact it was a total disaster for the brand image of Fiat in the country, however that did not stop its global success as just last week the millionth Fiat 500 rolled off the Fiat Auto Poland production line. This is quite a remarkable feat as the car has only been in production for 5 years. This iconic model, launched in 2007 and marketed in over 100 countries around the world – from Italy to Brazil, South Africa to Japan, and the United States to the Middle East – has also been produced at the Mexican plant in Toluca since 2011 to keep up with the high demand in the US market.
The milestone vehicle that was rolled of the production line is a Lounge version with elegant three-layer Funk White and fitted with Fiat’s reliable 1.2 litre 69bhp engine. It is a unique car like all those produced so far. In fact, thanks to the thousands of possible combinations – combining exterior colours, interiors, engines, fuel systems and equipment – among the million units produced it is really hard to find two identical Fiat 500s.
Here is some interesting facts about the 500 that may be the cause of its success. It was the first car to offer seven airbags as standard, the first car offering a range of over one million possible customizations, the first car only 3.55 metres long to win a prestigious 5-star EuroNCAP crash safety rating, the first car to offer the advanced ESP system with all its engine options, the first car to offer 100 original specially designed accessories, and the first Fiat Group car to be powered by the revolutionary two-cylinder TwinAir engine family.
I am an ardent admirer of FIAT which even as a child I knew in full meant “Fabriko Italiano Automobilto Turino” as my father drove a 1924 Fiat which was familys pride till it had to be sold in 1945 for paucity of spare parts caused by WWII . I often wondered why Fiat despite being a successful Auto maker has fumbled in selecting and placing their right products in the Indian market. They should loose no time in introducing “Fiat 500”. look forward to owning one.SVJoshi.