28-07-2005
To mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Fiat 600, Fiat has decided to update the current Seicento with a number of styling changes and to rationalise the range. The new car features some stylistic elements of one of the most emblematic Italian products of all time, starting with the name, which reverts to the historical version written in figures, and is repeated in a chromed logo on the rear of the car. The new range also includes a special limited
edition known as the Fiat 600 '50th' which is a tribute to the legendary 600, the forefather of an entire class of cars.
In addition to these obvious historical references, the new Fiat 600 confirms the winning features that have enabled the Fiat Seicento to reach an output of over 1,100,000 units since 1998: good performance, excellent handling and very low running costs. Plus an excellent quality/price ratio and a high residual value on the second-hand market. A market success, which shows that the model has earned itself a significant position in its highly competitive market bracket.
Today, to reinforce and improve this position in relation to its many competitors, the 'super-mini' receives a facelift that underlines its role as an advantageous alternative in the lower part of the segment. In fact, the new model is the most advanced alternative around for the motorist who wants a small car that is well endowed; compact but boasting the comfort we have grown accustomed to on larger cars; designed to be sparing on fuel, but to behave with a sparkle in all situations. The 600 is the smallest four-seater on the market and it is perfect in town traffic, but it is also capable of tackling longer journeys, ensuring that occupants arrive refreshed and relaxed. This ability to respond to different and even contrasting needs, makes the new Fiat model a benchmark in the super-mini market.
This remains Fiat's mission: to produce cars that are beautiful to look at, practical and accessible to everyone. Cars that embody creative, intelligent solutions, and guarantee a better quality of everyday life. But now, Fiat combines this recognised characteristic with a new conception of the car, which focuses not so much on its usefulness as on its symbolic expression; starting from the idea that if it is treated with stylistic taste and chromatic variety, even an industrial object can produce an absolutely unique, unrepeatable sensory experience. Enter the new Fiat 600, the best demonstration of how two cars, so distant in time, can be the fruit of the same technical and structural creativity, which has always guided stylists and designers in their everyday work.
The new Fiat 600 will be on the market in Italy at the end of June, and on the other European markets soon after.
Text and photos courtesy of Fiat Auto
