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Barbie Rolls Into LA Auto Show in Fabulous, Totally Extra Custom Fiat 500e

The last couple of years have been hard, so we all get a general pass for skimping on style and fabulousness in favor of comfort. Not Barbie, though. She may be in her 60s, but she’s as fabulous as ever.
The real-life Barbie Extra Car shows up at the 2021 LA Auto Show, is based on a Fiat 500e 13 photos
Photo: Mattel
The real-life Barbie Extra Car shows up at the 2021 LA Auto Show, is based on a Fiat 500eThe real-life Barbie Extra Car shows up at the 2021 LA Auto Show, is based on a Fiat 500eThe real-life Barbie Extra Car shows up at the 2021 LA Auto Show, is based on a Fiat 500eThe real-life Barbie Extra Car shows up at the 2021 LA Auto Show, is based on a Fiat 500eThe real-life Barbie Extra Car shows up at the 2021 LA Auto Show, is based on a Fiat 500eThe real-life Barbie Extra Car shows up at the 2021 LA Auto Show, is based on a Fiat 500eThe real-life Barbie Extra Car shows up at the 2021 LA Auto Show, is based on a Fiat 500eThe real-life Barbie Extra Car shows up at the 2021 LA Auto Show, is based on a Fiat 500eThe real-life Barbie Extra Car shows up at the 2021 LA Auto Show, is based on a Fiat 500eThe real-life Barbie Extra Car shows up at the 2021 LA Auto Show, is based on a Fiat 500eThe real-life Barbie Extra Car shows up at the 2021 LA Auto Show, is based on a Fiat 500eThe real-life Barbie Extra Car shows up at the 2021 LA Auto Show, is based on a Fiat 500e
She’s also more extra than ever, thanks to a new line of dolls and accessories that will become available in stores this holiday season. Among these accessories is a tiny Barbie Extra Car, which totally lives up to the name and is best described as the glittery dream vehicle from the land of unicorns, rainbows, and cotton candy. It’s pink, it sparkles and it’s extra. (Paris Hilton would love it!)

On a more somber note, the Los Angeles International Auto Show is now underway, and EVs are taking center stage. Mattel, the makers of Barbie, have no direct relation to the auto industry, but they were still able to cause serious (glittery) waves by bringing a life-size version of the Extra Car to the event. RoadShow reports that the vehicle is a fully-electric one and, to boot, drivable. And you thought Barbie did not care for the environment.

The Extra Car Convertible is actually a Fiat 500e in excellent disguise. For Barbie, that means 11 hp, 147 lb-ft (199 Nm) of torque, and a 100-mile range on a single charge, packaged in a car that’s tiny and cute. As it turns out, the same Fiat 500e can also be very extra.

In keeping with the stylish toy car, it comes with glittering silver paint, wing-shaped doors, and headlights and brakelights shaped like stars. The exhaust is also star-shaped. The interior is pink with white accents and features fuzzy headrests, as well as the pet pool in the back, where Barbie would put her tiny pooch on an equally tiny float to chill.

As per the same media outlet, the real-life version was created by Mattel’s vehicle team over a period of ten weeks, using the original designs of Judy Choi. The original CAD files of the toy car were used and the toy car was scaled to size, so that proportions were maintained. The wheels, 22-inch rear and 20-inch front, were 3D printed and hand-painted. If the car is identical to the original, it should also have storage for shoes and a “trendy top.”

Between November 18 and November 28, visitors at the West Atrium at the Los Angeles Convention Center will be able to see the real-life car next to the toy, for comparison purposes. If it needs saying, Mattel and Fiat didn’t partner on this and no, there are no plans to make more of these glittery convertibles. Paris Hilton would call this a wasted opportunity, and we’re sure at least some people out there will echo the sentiment.



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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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