During the
International Milan Furniture Fair it will be possible to
reserve 500 numbered examples of an Opening Edition of the
new Fiat 500 before the official launch, choosing between
two versions, one of them designed by Cappellini.
The new Fiat 500
is a symbol of Italian styling excellence, a
state-of-the-art solution for people who enjoy their cars in
total freedom, motorists who want a car they can use every
day, that is entertaining and practical, eco-friendly and
accessible, but also appealing and original. This model
confirms Fiat Automobiles’ undisputed leadership in this
category – a result of the extraordinary technological,
design and human heritage that it has built up in more than
a century of life. The model takes a quality leap forward
for its segment, where design and safety, technology and
equipment are concerned, without turning its back on its
historical, cultural and industrial identity.
The new model’s
debut will be an exciting, important event, and the official
launch, to take place in Turin, on July 4, has been preceded
by a number of different initiatives. One of these has
linked Fiat and Cappellini, an internationally renowned
brand of Italian design, in a project that focuses on the
new Fiat 500 and its stylistic concept. During the
International Milan Furniture Fair (from April 18 to 23),
some of the companies exhibiting at the Fair will organise
events in other parts of the city, transforming its entire
urban fabric into an attractive centre for social and
cultural aggregation. And one of the best-known sites
organised outside the Fair, that arouses particular
expectation with the public, is the one that Cappellini has
set up this year in the former Upim store in Piazza San
Babila.
The “Cappellini
Temporary Store” is located right in the centre of town, and
it occupies approximately 2000 square metres on two floors.
It will be open to the public from 10 am to 8 pm, from April
18 to 24. In one area of this interesting venue, known as
the “500 Lounge”, the public will be able to reserve one of
the 500 numbered examples of the Opening Edition of the new
Fiat model. They will be able to choose between a version
customised by Cappellini, featuring exclusive Light Blue,
elegant mouldings, and a version enhanced by Pearl White
bodywork, with an exclusive numbered badge on the outside
pillar and a plate inside on which the customer’s name can
be engraved.
Anyone interested can sign a non-binding
purchasing request, granting him the right to a place on the
waiting list for the assignment of one of the 500 Opening
Edition versions of the car. Potential purchasers will be
told details of the price and outfit at a later date, when
they will be able to confirm or cancel the purchase.
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The “Cappellini Temporary Store” is located right in
the centre of town, and it occupies approximately
2000 square metres on two floors. It will be open to
the public from 10 am to 8 pm, from April 18 to 24. |
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During the
International Milan Furniture Fair it will be possible to
reserve 500 numbered examples of an Opening Edition of the
new Fiat 500 before the official launch, choosing between
two versions. |
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At the entrance
to the Cappellini Temporary Store is a ‘black box’ measuring
about 250 square metres fitted with an autostethoscopic
system. Outside the structure the visitor will access a
multimedia station, where he can configure a Fiat 500
concept car, choosing the colour of the bodywork, the
stickers to apply and some accessories. When he has
terminated the operation, he will enter the ‘black box’ to
see a life-size 3-D projection of his personal 500 Concept
Car, and will then receive a print out of his prototype.
In line with the philosophy
of the new model (“a car created for the people with the
people’s own ideas”), the configurator is an evolution of
the famous Concept Lab, the virtual laboratory found on the
site
www.fiat500.com,
that has already collected more than 160,000 configurations,
and suggestions for the accessories and customisation of the
new model. The inauguration of the Cappellini Temporary
Store was the ideal occasion to announce the three winners
of the Designboom international competition, divided into
the “accessories”, “everywhere” and “lifestyle” categories
(the three projects are exhibited in panels displayed in a
dedicated area, together with other outstanding proposals).
Developed in collaboration
with Designboom (an independent web magazine for the design
world), the competition is only one of the many initiatives
studied by the creative team of “500 wants you”, the
interactive multimedia platform which, in advance of the
official launch, is touching all sectors of communication:
from advertising to viral marketing, fashion and
photography. But it is on the web, thanks to the www.fiat500.com site that the “500 wants you”
site really comes into its own. And the figures confirm that
it has been a huge success: since it went online on May 3,
2006, the site has been visited by over two million users,
and boasts a community of 50,000 fans.
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