Photo: Fiat
The Fiat 500 is a lot like the Nissan GT-R. Not fast and exciting, but really, really old. The model has just been through small changes since it came out in 2007, and once in Fiat likes to talk about what it should do next.
According to Autocar, that happened against, as a meeting of high-level officials took place at the Turin design center, conducted by Fiat chief executive, Oliver Francois. We even get to know what they talked about.
“Fiat has a double mission. Urban mobility is core today, but at the same time, it means family transportation. In southern Europe, this is especially true. For our future product plan, we need the right balance between the two dimensions: the Fiat 500 family and family transportation. There will be no big cars, no premium cars, no sporty cars because they have no legitimacy," said the boss.
If that sounds a bit familiar, that's Fiat said something similar a couple of years back. It had a whole plan where models would be split between the cool ones that wear the 500 badges and cheap stuff. There was even a metaphor about high-end denim jeans.
Of course, just like Maserati, Fiat didn't stick to the plan and unveiled basically nothing except minor updates. But a new 500-led charge is now planned to include a fresh EV and a 5-door with suicide rear doors like the Mazda RX-8.
Weirdly, the company also plans to scrap the 500X crossover and replace it with a modern version of the 500 Giardiniera. A car named after pickles... how much do you not want that!
"We will be present in the C-segment [Ford Focus class] but not much more. All models will sit within 3.5m and 4.5m (11.4 feet to 14.7 feet). This is where Fiat will play. We need more EVs. And we need more 500 models that look legitimate enough to take higher pricing,” the exec stated.
Part of it sounds really weird, but we're fans of the Tipo family of compacts. They're affordable and work well with Mediterranean markets where motors tend to be less aspirational.
“Fiat has a double mission. Urban mobility is core today, but at the same time, it means family transportation. In southern Europe, this is especially true. For our future product plan, we need the right balance between the two dimensions: the Fiat 500 family and family transportation. There will be no big cars, no premium cars, no sporty cars because they have no legitimacy," said the boss.
If that sounds a bit familiar, that's Fiat said something similar a couple of years back. It had a whole plan where models would be split between the cool ones that wear the 500 badges and cheap stuff. There was even a metaphor about high-end denim jeans.
Of course, just like Maserati, Fiat didn't stick to the plan and unveiled basically nothing except minor updates. But a new 500-led charge is now planned to include a fresh EV and a 5-door with suicide rear doors like the Mazda RX-8.
Weirdly, the company also plans to scrap the 500X crossover and replace it with a modern version of the 500 Giardiniera. A car named after pickles... how much do you not want that!
"We will be present in the C-segment [Ford Focus class] but not much more. All models will sit within 3.5m and 4.5m (11.4 feet to 14.7 feet). This is where Fiat will play. We need more EVs. And we need more 500 models that look legitimate enough to take higher pricing,” the exec stated.
Part of it sounds really weird, but we're fans of the Tipo family of compacts. They're affordable and work well with Mediterranean markets where motors tend to be less aspirational.
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