CHIC SURROUNDS Snazzily designed 500 was launched at the National Museum of Singapore

By Justin Lee and Lionel Kong

LOCAL FIAT DISTRIBUTOR TTS Eurocars unveiled the 500 at the Singapore Art Museum on 18th April for the media and customers.

Featuring retro-chic styling the car is a modern interpretation of its highly popular 1957 namesake, which was powered by a 0.5-litre engine and remained in production until 1975. It has been credited as the first truly affordable Italian car and the vehicle that allowed many Italians to realise the dream of owning a car.

While the new Fiat 500 retains the name of its original incarnation, the engine options that come with the modern 500 have grown in size. Two engine options are on offer with the 500, namely a 1.2-litre eight-valve unit producing 69bhp and a 1.4-litre 16-valve unit with 100bhp.

Mated to these engines are standard five-speed manual transmissions with optional five and six speed semi-automatic gearboxes on 1.2-litre and 1.4-litre respectively.The 1.2 uses 5.1 litres of fuel per 100km on the combined cycle while the 1.4 is slightly thirstier, using 6.3 litres per 100km.

All 500s in Singapore are only offered in the top-of-the-line Lounge specification which has a long list of standard equipment including seven airbags, anti-lock braking system, electronic brake force distribution and moonroof. There is also a personalisation programme which offers a range of over 100 accessories specially designed for the 500. These can generate more than 500,000 possible trim, colour and option combinations to make each and every 500 unique.

Fiat’s director of sales for Eastern Europe and Asia Robert Tripoli who was in Singapore for the launch of the 500 says the car has many unique selling points.

“The new car has some equipment not even seen in bigger cars such as the Blue & Me system that Fiat developed with Microsoft Corporation. It offers USB music player connection and Bluetooth communication through a specially designed interface.

“It can also be personalised to suit any individual’s taste,” he says.

“Fiat has allocated around 200 units of the new car for the Singapore market. It is well-equipped, good to drive, and should do well here.”

Market demand for the new 500 in Europe, where the car is still commonly referred to as the Cinquecento (the Italian word for 500), has been voracious. Tripoli tells us that many customers who have purchased the car there see it more as an extension of personal style rather than a form of practical transportation.

“The Fiat Cinquecento is a highly practical town car, but is now more stylish and upmarket than its original version. Our research actually showed that young people considering purchasing the car were actually looking at it as a viable alternative to the likes of the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4.”

Chief executive officer of TTS Eurocars Jeslin Teo revealed that there were more than 20 pre-orders placed for the car here even before the launch.

Depending on the trim and specification level, the 500 is priced from $78,000 to $92,000 with COE.