Fiat have this morning officially released the first images and information about the new Fiat 500 three and a half months ahead of its planned launch on 4th July, a date that will mark exactly 50 years to the day since the launch of its iconic predecessor, a tiny car that forced its was into motoring legend. Now a new model is set to arrive, one which Fiat hopes will recapture all the spirit and panache that was displayed by the original model over its long and diversified lifespan. Little new information has been made available though, apart from confirmation that it will have two petrol (1.2 8V and 1.4 16V) and one turbodiesel (1.3 16V) engine options, a choice of 5- and 6-speed gearboxes and details of its highly compact dimensions.

During the 18-year production life of the 500, 3,893,294 examples were built. The new 500 will start life being built in Poland at the Tychy factory, currently home to the Panda, on whose floorpan and mechanicals the new car is based, and the Seicento, with initial production expected to be in the region of 150,000 per year. The project has been realised in conjunction with Ford, who will use the underpinnings to replace their current Ka model.

"On July 4, 1957, in Turin, Fiat presented the Nuova Fiat 500, a real icon of our times, with which Fiat concluded a revival that had begun straight after the Second World War," said a Fiat Group Automobiles press release issued in Turin this morning.
 

"On July 4, 2007, exactly 50 years later, again in Turin, Fiat will present the new Fiat 500 which will be marketed immediately after the launch. And the new car will conclude an equally important cycle of revival for Fiat Automobiles SpA. Developed by the Fiat Style Centre and manufactured in the plant in Tychy (Poland), the new 500 is a 3-door model with very compact measurements: it is 355 cm long, 165 cm wide, 149 cm tall and has a wheelbase of 230 cm," the press release continued. "The car is extremely entertaining to drive, due to its three engines: a 75 bhp 1.3 16v Multijet turbodiesel unit and two petrol engines, the 69 bhp 1.2 8v and the 100 bhp 1.4 16v, all of which are available with five or six speed mechanical gearboxes.

"The model confirms Fiat Automobiles SpA’s undisputed leadership in this category - a result of its extraordinary heritage of technical, design and human experience accumulated in over a century - and it takes a quality leap forward in terms of comfort and safety, technology and equipment for this segment. The new 500 is the most up-to-date solution for the motorist who enjoys' his car in complete freedom, appreciates it for day-to-day use, but also wishes to drive a car that is entertaining and practical, environmentally-friendly and accessible, but also appealing and full of fun," the press release concluded.