19.12.2003 LARGE DISPLAY FROM FIAT IN BOLOGNA THEMED TO SUMMER COMING SIX MONTHS EARLY

Music, sea and sand: the Summer comes six months early on the attractive Fiat stand at the Bologna Motor Show. 'The Summer is back' was the theme that runs through an exhibition area that was full of enveloping sounds and warm colours. Steps and slides divide the exhibition area, which was arranged on different levels and painted in different colours. The walls offered dream panoramas with the sea in the foreground while the floors were painted with metallescent lacquer and the platforms on which the cars are exhibited were made of steel-glass and lit from below.

Fiat's choice unashamedly aimed to appeal to the younger audience which has always been the protagonist at the Bologna show. For them, Fiat decided to create a stand 'experience', where they could meet friends, listen to music, play and find out about the cars on offer.

In particular, the areas where the Panda and Idea were displayed offered beaches with sand, umbrellas, deckchairs and palm trees. The areas were bordered by strips of 'liquiland' to represent the sea: if you walked over them, you could see your footprint spread thanks to the oily material the innovative floor was made of.

This was the context Fiat chose to show off its entire range, starting with the latest arrivals: the new Panda and the Fiat Idea. The first, the supermini which was recently voted 'Car of the Year 2004' and 'European Car 2004'. And next to it the Idea, an important model with which Fiat aim show its determination to play a leading role in a new and constantly growing subsegment, that of the compact MPV. 

The public in Bologna were able to admire five versions, all 'dressed' in brilliant, youthful colours. Three of these received their premieres, a new 4x4, a sporty rally concept version, and finally, an extrovert SUV. The stand also hosted a Panda 1.2 equipped with the Dualogic gearbox, a technological gem that makes driving even easier, particularly in town.

Visitors could examine five versions of the Idea, which represents a new approach to the car, because it combines two very different motoring concepts: the handling and size of a compact car (it is just under four metres long, 1.7 metres wide and 1.66 metres high), and the modularity and versatility of an MPV proper. A new Panda and an Idea were also displayed in two large cylinders, both lined with mirrors to create a curious kaleidoscopic effect, a feature that was first seen in Frankfurt.

The second focal point of the stand was an area reserved for the 2004 version of the Stilo M.Y. 04 which will be on the market in January, with a few styling changes, and two new engines: the sparkling 95 bhp 1.4 16v and the powerful 140 bhp 1.9 Multijet.

The Puntos displayed were all three-door models: one equipped with the 1.4 16v engine and Sporting outfit, the second with the 100 bhp 1.9 Multijet engine, and the third with the 1.8 16v engine, while the stand also hosted the Punto Abarth Rally, which Paolo Andreucci took to victory in the Italian Super 1600 Rally Championship.

Another area of the Fiat stand was dedicated to racing, with a Stilo Abarth that competed in the Trophy of the same name, and a 170 bhp Stilo Abarth 2.4 20v with a five speed manual gearbox and a very distinctive outfit. For extra effect, another Abarth 'raced' along a 'road' of illuminated LEDs on a side wall of the stand.

Other models included the new Fiat Barchetta, in a special 'Prima Classe' outfit by Alviero Martini, a designer famous for leather goods and cases, and the Fiat Doblò 1.9 JTD Malibù. Finally the collection was rounded off by the Ulysse MPV.