Fiat has just announced prices of its new Euro 5-compliant Bravo 1.6 16v MultiJet.
With a starting price of just £13,595 OTR for the Active 1.6 16v MultiJet 105 model, the newly-extended range saves even more money, with fuel economy of up to 62.7mpg on the combined cycle, and low CO2 emissions, starting at an impressive 119g/km.
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A new diesel engine, introduced initially for use in the Bravo range, has again demonstrated Fiat Group’s commitment to the production of increasingly environmentally-friendly cars.
Fiat’s new 1.6 MultiJet 16v unit, announced just last week, promises sparkling performance, outstanding torque, increased noise suppression and lower running costs for the Bravo range. The addition also makes Bravo the first car in its category to be fitted with a Euro 5-compliant engine, well ahead of the 2009 deadline.
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The coveted Car of the Year 2008 award, which was given to the Fiat 500 by a jury of 58 specialist journalists from 22 European countries, was presented this evening (28 January) at a ceremony in Berlin.
Fiat’s supermini was not only the overall winner, but it also received votes from the largest number of jury members: 57 out of 58 included the car on their short lists, and 33 put it in first place.
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When the new Fiat 500 goes on sale in the UK on 21 January 2008, it will be exactly 500 hours after the start of the New Year.
Designed by Fiat Centro Stile, the new car’s chic styling boasts visual cues from the past, but it is far from a simple, nostalgic interpretation of Dante Giacosa’s iconic Fiat 500 of July 1957.
Taking a quantum leap forward in terms of safety, technology, comfort and equipment for this segment, it represents a company blueprint for a future which embraces a modern approach, new brand strategies, radical innovations in customer relations and a lasting process of expansion.
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FIAT Group Automobiles UK Ltd is launching its new FIAT 500 in the UK – with a flight in one of the capsules on the British Airways London Eye!
The new Fiat 500, which has recently been voted Car of the Year 2008, will take to the air on Monday 21 January at 8.00pm – exactly 500 hours into the New Year.
FIAT is also staging a celebrity and showbiz ticketed event around the launch, featuring live bands, top presenters, and a fantastic light show.
FIAT UK Marketing Director, Elena Bernardelli, says: “It will be a great event, and we at FIAT are committed to making the country smile for the night.”
London Eye Head of Sales and Marketing, Helen Bull, says: “After celebrating 2008 with a phenomenal firework display, what better way to continue the party than with a fantastic event only 500 hours into the New Year, with 2008’s Car of the Year.”
The international jury presiding over the Car of the Year award, made up of 58 specialist journalists from 22 European countries, has elected the Fiat 500 Car of the Year 2008 with 385 votes, ahead of the Mazda 2 (325 votes) and the Ford Mondeo (202).
In addition to winning the Car of the Year 2008 award outright, the super-compact Fiat distinguished itself by obtaining votes from most members of the jury: 57 out of 58 included it in their short-list, and 33 made it top in their personal rankings.
This is the second time – the first was the Fiat Panda in 2004 – that an A-segment model has won the most prestigious award in the world car industry. This extraordinary record brings total Fiat Group Automobiles wins to twelve: the Fiat 124 (1967), Fiat 128 (1970), Fiat 127 (1972), Lancia Delta (1980), Fiat Uno (1984), Fiat Tipo (1989), Fiat Punto (1995), Fiat Bravo/Brava (1996), Alfa 156 (1998), Alfa 147 (2001), Fiat Panda (2004) and the Fiat 500 (2008).
Launched on 4 July this year, the new Fiat 500 immediately aroused huge interest and very favourable comments made by more than 7,000 people from 63 countries (more than 1,000 journalists were accredited) who homed in on Turin for its début: institutional authorities, financial analysts, businessmen and celebrities from the worlds of entertainment, fashion and sport.
Critical acclaim was immediately confirmed by intense customer interest. More than 105,000 orders were taken in just four months in only two countries (Italy and France), while interest continues to grow in the rest of Europe, (for example: 6,300 orders have already been placed in Germany where the car went on sale just a few weeks ago). As of today, in Europe, the Fiat 500 stands second in the A-segment with a share of 14.1% (behind the Fiat Panda with a 21.2% share).
The Fiat 500 is the manifesto of ‘new Fiat’, a model that is in all respects the physical demonstration of the company’s new approach, the renewed strategies of the brand, a different way of interpreting the car. That is why the Fiat 500 has set new benchmarks in its segment. For example, this is the first time that a car barely 3.55 metres long has been awarded a 5 star crash safety rating by Euro NCAP, and this is the first time that a car in this segment has seven airbags fitted as standard (it is also the only super-compact to fit a knee-bag), with the advanced ESP available on all models (standard on the 1.4 16v 100 bhp).
In addition, this is the first time that a model has been launched with the entire range of power units (1.2 69 bhp, 1.3 MultiJet 75 bhp with DPF and 1.4 16v 100 bhp), built to respect emissions limits set by Euro 5, and all this more than two years in advance of the legislative deadline.
This is also the first time that a ‘small’ car like the Fiat 500 has been able to boast such a broad range, which is made possible by choosing from: four trim levels, three engines and 12 colours (among these are six vintage colours that evoke memories of the ’50s and ’60s, and the three-layer white, a sophisticated paint process that up to now has only been adopted on supercars).
Customers can also choose from 15 interiors including the prestigious Cordura and Frau Leather, nine types of road wheel, and 19 sticker treatments, for a total of more than 500,000 variations.
In addition, 100 original accessories have been designed for the Fiat 500 – among which the most surprising are an electric aroma diffuser and colour-coded key fobs – along with the most advanced infotelematic systems: for example a multifunctional portable navigator from the Blue&MeTM platform.
Two limited edition versions of Fiat’s best-selling models have just gone on sale – with the emphasis on exceptional levels of equipment and superb value for money.
Both cars – the Panda Special Series 360 and the Grande Punto Special Series 360 – are available now through Fiat’s 162-strong UK dealer network until the end of the year.
Based on the 1.2-litre Panda Dynamic, the Panda 360 is distinguished by a special series sticker on the B-pillar, metallic paint and 14-inch alloy wheels. Inside, the car is given a special interior trim which includes the new company logo on the front seats. Air conditioning, a Bluetooth phone system and spilt folding rear seating are also fitted as standard.
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Fiat Group Automobiles UK Ltd has just announced prices of the eagerly-awaited new Fiat 500, which goes on sale here in January.
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.
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