Star in the halls of this week's Salão Internacional do Automóvel in São Paulo is the Fiat 500 which is making its Brazilian debut at Latin America's biggest motor show and with imports in limited numbers expected to get underway imminently.

Star of this week's Salão Internacional do Automóvel in São Paulo is the Fiat 500 which is making its Brazilian debut at Latin America's biggest motor show. The tiny new small Fiat model that has caused a worldwide sensation since its debut in July 2007 and Fiat Automóveis, the autonomous Brazilian arm of the Fiat Group, is presenting the car at Latin America's leading motor show with the aim of judging reaction from the public.

Fiat Automóveis is expected to commence imports of the Fiat 500, which is the current holder of prestigious the title of European Car of the Year, very shortly. It has already arrived in Mexico, where despite a very high price tag it carries due to import duties, it sold out the initial allocation within hours. Fiat Brazil are now looking to replicate this success, aiming the car, in small numbers, at celebrities and the ultra fashion conscious.

It was one of the automobiles industry icons during the 50’s, when it was a reference model for Fiat. Half century later, the myth revives, incorporates a contemporary shape, and shows that its history is more current than ever. The Fiat 500 is the model that represents the materialization of a new view in the operation and strategy of the Italian company, that is, a different way of perceiving the automobile. Exactly 50 years after the launch of the model’s first edition, an icon of the Italian motorization and of an entire historical period of the automobile industry, it revives. The intention of Fiat was not only to design a car that resembled the 500 of fifty years ago. The Project respects the original concept regarding design and function; however, it focuses on the innovations almost unimaginable, by that time.

It was the first vehicle to present the full range of motorization already prepared to respect emission limits demanded by Euro 5, two years prior it came in force (2009). Also, this is the first time a compact automobile with only 3,550 mm is designed in order to be rated five stars in the strict crash tests of EuroNCAP. The 500 is qualified to be rated six stars, as soon as the new rating system starts to be available.

The new 500 also adopts sophisticated solutions that ensure the prefect control of the car (active safety): it has ABS with EBD (Electronic Brake-Force Distribution); EPS (Electronic Stability Program); ASR (Anti-Slipping Regulation); and HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assist), which helps in occasions of emergency braking. The glass sunroof in large sizes (available both in the fixed version and in the movable version with electric control), accentuates the interior luminosity and pays homage to the famous canvas roof of the 500 in the 60’s.

With no doubt, this is the relaunching of one of the greatest icons of the world´s automotive industry. The Sport version exhibited at the Auto Show is equipped with super modern 1.4 16 V engine and 100 hp at 6,000 rpm and maximum torque of 13.4 kgfm at 4,250 rpm. With this engine, the 500 goes from 0 to 100 km/h in only 10.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 182 km/h.

The success and glamour of the 500 become even more evident with the worldwide knowledge of its concepts and qualities. The Fiat 500 is the “Car of the Year 2008”. An international judging committee composed by 58 specialized journalists from 22 countries has chosen the small car as the most significant one in the world, this year. As a success, the sales figures corroborate Fiat’s latest accomplishment in relaunching the 500 with over 260,000 units sold, when around 80,000 were estimated.