NEW: Cinque Cento!

[Videoskooter]

I don't know if anybody remembers the legendary Fiat 500?



Well the sequel has hit the roads:













A success like the new Mini or a bummer like the new Beetle?

[QUINNY]

If it's any better than the Aygo, C1 or 107 then it might stand a chance.

Although I like the idea of super mini cars, practicality tends to get in the way, once one is of a certain age. I had a Fiat Seicento for a week as a replacement car whilst mine was being repaired, and although it accommodated myself and a 6' 2" largish friend in the front two seats, it was rather uncomfortable and felt a little toytown. Even my 4' 10" wife said it felt too small and flimsy. An original Mini never felt quite that bad.

I'd say they're great for young kids who want cheap, fun transport.

[Videoskooter]

I'd say they're great for young kids who want cheap, fun transport.

That's why I think that they can be successful. It looks good (I don't know the price) and such models are very popular in Italian cities where the streets are sometimes very narrow and big parking lots are usually non-existent.

The Smart/fortwo sells incredibly well over there.

[KoolChris]

Well, this would be more like the 3rd edition . They (FIAT) released a model named Cinquecento at the time original 500s were being restored and sold for big bucks (or rather Francs, Lira, etc..), around 1994. There were plenty of the originals in Italy, and they started appearing out of nowhere in the streets of Paris, and, seemingly, other big cities Europe-wide.

It seems Fiat execs thought the way to cash in on the trend would be to make a small car with more modern features, and give it the same name as the original. The only trouble was, people liked the original because it was cute, small, outdated, typically Italian, typically '60s, relatively robust (all-metal, and most were still running since the '60s without a major overhaul), and funny-looking...nothing but sympathetic, endearing features, down to the funky non-parallel wheels stance the car had when not loaded.

They would typically be driven by cute bourgeois women, young men who afforded not to fall for the macho-car (big car, powerful engine) concept, and generally, people who wanted something small, fun, out-of-the-ordinary, and with a lot of appeal to drive around in.




The replacement was boxy even if small, ugly, cheap-looking, and bore as only similarity to the original, its name... Badged differently, it could have passed as a bottom-of-the-line Daihatsu or Kia: nothing you're going to buy if you can afford not to...




This nuova Cinquecento seems like the answer design-wise, but isn't it about 10 years too late? The original 500 fad is over (at least in Paris), and people have moved on to the new Mini and the Smart. Will these same people be willing to move from their german-engineered small cars to a FIAT? I certainly hope so, if only for the sake of diversity...

[Videoskooter]

It's finally on the market, it's a stunningly bella little macchina and in Italy people are gearing up to buy one. Let's face it, cars like the SmartForTwo are very popular in the crowded cittas but this is an Italian car!!!!