Category: Fiat

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FIAT’S PRETTY 500C SPIAGGINA ’58 EDITION

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Fiat 500 Spiaggina

Fiat Australia will import just 30 units of the cute little 500C Spiaggina ’58 Edition for we folks Downunder. The Edition pays homage to the 500 Jolly Spiaggina, the first special series of the Fiat 500 in 1958. Only 1958 of the new Edition are being built for worldwide sale. Sold only in Volare Blue complemented by a beige soft top, the Fiat 500C ’58 Spiaggina Edition is available in both manual and automated -manual (Dualogic) transmission and has $3000 of additional features over and above the Fiat 500C Lounge… Read more

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FIAT FREEMONT 2013 – 2017

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An interesting alternative to Asian SUVs, the Italian Fiat Freemont shares many components with the American Dodge Journey. It was introduced here midway through 2013. The fact that the shape was somewhere between that of an SUV and a people mover didn’t do it any favours and it sold only in moderate numbers. Competition from Dodge probably didn’t help. (Chrysler Dodge got into big financial trouble during the GFC and was taken over by Fiat.) The Fiat Freemont comes with five or seven seats. The second row of seats can… Read more

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FIAT 500X UPGRADES

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Fiat 500X, the expanded version of the iconic Fiat 500, hasn’t done as well as expected in Australia. So the model range has been trimmed, prices reduced and a feature-packed Launch Edition has been introduced. Only 100 of the latter are coming Downunder. Price drops range from $1010 for the Fiat 500X Pop six-speed manual (now $24,990), to $2010 (now $29,990) for the automatic only 500X Pop Star. On-road charges have to be added, but we suspect you might be able to haggle with a dealer as part of this… Read more

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60TH ANNIVERSARY FIAT 500 CABRIOLET

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Fiat Australia is importing a special edition 60th Anniversary Fiat 500 as a tribute to the original cute-as-a-button, and very Italian, Fiat 500. Soon given the pet name of Cinquecento, the tiny four-seater (yes, four!) first went onto the road in 1957. The 60th Anniversary Fiat 500 is only sold as a cabriolet, it features classic styling cues, with a vinyl dashboard, the vintage logo on the front and a chrome finish on the bonnet. Its dual-colour body paintwork has a three-layer white for the lower sections of the body,… Read more

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FIAT 500 CELEBRATES 60TH BIRTHDAY

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The iconic Fiat 500 is celebrating its 60 birthday using a fascinating mix of history and the latest in high-tech internet communication. In a very Italian manner the company has also mixed in its celebration with other iconic events. The events began on St Patricks Day, March 17th with a major event a the Geneva Motor Show, and will finish on America’s Independence Day, July 4th – because the Fiat 500 was presented in Turin on that day in 1957. The Fiat 500’s 60th anniversary will include tours of Europe’s… Read more

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FIAT 500X IS READY FOR ACTION

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Only the Italians could get away with a TV commercial that links a performance-enhancing ‘little blue pill’ with the transformer-like conversion of a small hatchback into a muscular SUV. That’s what Fiat has done in a brilliant ad that sees the pill eventually dropping into the fuel tank of a Fiat 500 hatchback and bulk it up into the 500X compact SUV with the closing line – “bigger, more powerful and ready for action”. Check it out on YouTube if you haven’t seen it. Great fun. The 500X was designed… Read more

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ABARTH 124 SPIDER IS ONE ITS WAY.

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Abarth is to Fiat what HSV is to Holden and AMG to Mercedes; an organisation that takes standard cars and turns them into hot sports and/or racing machines. The latest one to come to Australia, the Abarth 124 Spider, is now on a ship downunder and goes on sale on Friday, October 7th. Carlo Abarth already had a strong background of building racing cars before he set up is own company in Bologna, Italy in 1949. His star sign was Scorpio and he chose a scorpion based badge for his… Read more

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FIAT 127 COUPE

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Traditionally known as a producer of well-built, quality cars that gave sportscar-like performance on the highway something obviously went horribly wrong in the period 1969 to 1976 when Fiat models 850, 124, 126, 127 and 128 suffered severe rust and corrosion problems and the little cars practically disintegrated before their owners’ eyes. Not only were their bodies affected but also chassis corrosion was endemic in Europe, North America and Australia. So bad was the problem in America that the US government took the unusual step of suing the manufacturer for… Read more

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FIAT 500X EXPANDS THE RANGE

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At the end of 2015 Fiat expanded its 500 range with the introduction of a crossover called the 500X. Significantly bigger than the standard Fiat 500 it has more interior space, utilised through the convenience of rear doors. The Fiat 500X was designed in conjunction with the new Jeep Renegade. Italian Fiat now controls Jeep after American company got into financial trouble during the GFC. There’s a nice combination of Italian style and American 4WD knowhow in this partnership. Fiat 500X as tested this week is an all-wheel-drive (AWD) Cross… Read more

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CUTE FIAT 500 GETS MAKEOVER

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It’s hard to believe the new Fiat 500 is approaching its tenth year. The little Italian classic has been a huge success in Europe, though a slow starter in Australia it has taken off in the last few years and is now a common sight on big-city streets downunder. Unlike its two big rivals, the BMW Mini and VW Beetle which have been fitted with completely new bodies, albeit following the original theme, the Fiat 500 still has its original shape introduced in 2007. It has just been facelifted, as… Read more