When talking about city cars with Italian flair, there's nothing that can come close to the Fiat 500 crown. We're referring to the Fiat 500 Type 312, which is in production since 2007. Fast-forward the better part of 8 years since the modern Cinquecento launched and here we are today, in the presence of the 1,5 millionth example of the breed.
On November 10, the Tychy plant in Poland produced example number 1,500,000 of the Fiat 500. The car in question can be admired in the photograph above, and it's going to be delivered to its new owner in France. Roughly 8 years and 4 months after the 21st century Cinquecento launched, the Fiat Group couldn't do anything better with its most iconic model other than giving it a minor facelift.
We beg your pardon, but don't automakers usually come with an all-new generation after 8 years of continuous production? Not the Fiat Group, it seems, as proven by the 2016 Fiat 500. Other than the production facility in Tychy, Poland, the Panda-based runaround is also assembled in Toluca, Mexico.
During its production lifespan, the Cinquecento collected more than 40 international awards, including the European Car of the Year award in 2008. From Japan to the U.S.A., the Fiat 500 is on sale in more than 100 countries around the world. But at the end of the day, the Type 312 is surpassed by the Nuova 500 in terms of production, with the latter spawning 3,893,294 units over the course of 18 years (1957-1975). Compared to the original, the Fiat 500 Type 312 is anything but a cheap and cheerful town car.
The pricing starts at £10,890 or $16,845, respectively, which is a helluva lot of greenback for a four-seater with such a small trunk. Adjusted for inflation, to compare the original's cheap & cheerful persona to the 2016 model's sticker price is a thought-provoking exercise. Nevertheless, we have to give Caesar what belongs to Caesar. More specifically, the Fiat 500 is cheaper than its main rivals - the MINI and the Beetle.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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