The Fiat 500 features many advanced technical solutions which have been developed from the close cooperation between the Fiat design department and Fiat Group company Magneti Marelli.

Long-awaited by the market, the new Fiat 500 is a throwback to the famous economy car launched in 1957, from which it recaptures the spirit and incomparable design. But at the same time it is a car that features highly advanced technical solutions, developed from the close cooperation between the Fiat design department and Magneti Marelli.

For example, let's take the lighting systems, which characterise in unmistakable fashion the line of the model and which represent one of the strongest references to the 500 of the past. Designed and produced by Magneti Marelli Automotive Lighting, they deserve special mention not only as an example of design, but also for the technology they use. The head lamps, in fact, feature the DRL (Day Running Lights) function, which turns on automatically when the engine is started. The luminous intensity, higher than the intensity of low beam lights but lower than the high beam lights, satisfies the mandatory requirement to drive with the headlights on, however reducing energy consumption. Savings are obtained also thanks to the fact that the rear lamps are not turned on.

Magneti Marelli Powertrain, on the other hand, supplies the electronic control system for the Fire 1.2 petrol engine and the 1.3 16v Multijet turbo-diesel engine. Engines that already satisfy Euro 5 requirements (which will come into effect in 2009) and feature especially reduced carbon dioxide emissions, below the 120 grams per kilometre set as a limit for the year 2012 by the European Union Commission. Magneti Marelli also supplies the exhaust system with catalytic converter and, for models equipped with turbo-diesel, with anti-particulate filter.

The Suspension Systems division develops the suspension system for the new Fiat 500: McPherson type in the front and twist beam at the rear. The architecture is the same as the one employed for the Fiat Panda, but with some improvements introduced to increase safety, such as the front crossmember designed to absorb the energy of impact in case of head-on collisions.

There are many innovations on the 500 that are tied to the “infotainment” systems, developed by the Electronic Systems division. In the first place, the Blue&Me system, the innovative “open” platform that can operate with today's consumer terminals and can guarantee compatibility with future devices. Thanks to its Bluetooth™ technology and the USB plug, it is also capable of connecting to telephones, PDAs, MP3 readers and mass storage devices. The new 500 also features Blue&Me Nav, which combines a satellite navigator function with pictograms and services. But the real novelty consists of the Blue&Me Map 500. The last frontier in the market of portable navigation systems, it presents itself as safe and easy-to-use thanks to the high degree of integration onboard the vehicle, both from an electro-mechanical point of view and from the point of view of connectivity, which uses the Bluetooth of the Blue&Me system. It was developed by capitalising on years of experience acquired in the automotive field by Magneti Marelli, leader in the supply of navigation systems as OEM equipment.

There are considerable advantages deriving from the adoption of this new architecture: data coming from the CAN network of the vehicle is used by the PND to improve navigation, vocal messages are reproduced by the onboard audio system, the navigation pictograms are replicated in the instrument panel and the destination can be entered by means of buttons located on the steering wheel or by means of vocal messages. All this contributes to guaranteeing higher standards in terms of both comfort and safety. In addition to satellite navigation, the Blue&Me Map 500 also offers multimedia functions, such as the reproduction of musical pieces and the display of both short films and images.

The Electronic Systems division also produces the original instrument cluster, which represents an ideal union between the retro look - the design is the same as the characteristic round panel of the 1957 Fiat 500 model - and technological modernity. It is offered in two versions: Comfort and Matrix depending on the vehicle model.