Pictured here is the 2009 FIAT 500 Abarth. Unfortunately, this trim will probably not come to the US anytime soon, but that's a shame. This small little car is on it's way to the US market in four trims, including a convertible and a "sporty hatchback." I'll settle for the sporty hatchback, because FIAT has racing in it's blood.
The 500 has really balanced proportions including a very wide track. It has a bump on it's nose that really stands out to me, and I think about what it would look like if there was a grille there. It would probably look just like a Mini. If the bump was smoothed out, it would look too cute. It looks like a boxer's nose that's been broken a few times, and now he's looking ready to scrap again.
The lights that are below, and to the outside of the headlights are a little weird. Are they turn signals? Do they need to be that large?
At 11 inches shorter than the Yaris, the FIAT 500 will really fill a void in the US market for a small car that people actually want. I hope Chrysler looks at the success of small performance cars in Europe before they introduce the 500 over here. It's important to remember that people enjoy driving fun cars.
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2 comments:
Interesting comment at the end about Fiat bringing cars to America. They have no less than 24 models in their stable. All are what I would consider small cars, no bigger than a Mazda 3 maybe. Being a European company, small is their thing.
I agree with you on the lights, if turn signals, why so large to stand out so much.
The 500 came out in the 40's after the war and it was a rear engine car to compete with the VW. Fiat had a 509 that was their 4 seater. Looked like a small Woody that you would find in California.
I am looking forward to Fiat coming back to America. The 124 and 128's were pretty good cars if they didn't catch on fire. Fiat is over a 100 years old and have survived a lot of hardships along the way.
Watchout Mini.
Fiat has come a long way in design since I last looked at them in the parking lot at NCR back in the 1960s. Then, they were not considered much to look at.
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