What do 4th of July, Dante Giacosa and Fiat have in common? Fiat Cinquecento, of course! The first Cinquecento (or 500 as its known now) was introduced on American Independence Day in 1957.Giacosa engineered this little wonder and it became an immediate hit in the Post-World War II Italy.
Now Fiat has come back with this legendary car to increase its dwindling sales all over the globe. Showcased in Auto Expo this year, the made-in-Poland Cinquecento will be available in India as a CBU from April 2008.
Internationally, 500 has been launched in 1.2L 69bhp, 1.4L 100bhp petrol engines and 1.3L 75bhp multijet diesel engine. Indians will know the flavor of the multijet engine with the introduction of Palio Diesel in February and if rumors be believed, this is what the people hoping to buy Cinquecento will get.
The price that you ought to pay for the twin of the vintage car could be anything above 10 Lakhs. It will be laced with interiors which will be retro in appearance but not technologically challenged, so to say. Take this, MID, central display unit with digital display, digital climate control and high-end integrated sound system.
With this car in its bastion, we can surely say, Welcome back Fiat!