Sixty-three years have now passed since July 4, 1957, the day Fiat introduced to the world one of its most beloved cars: the 500. The legendary “Cinquino” immediately established itself as a ‘love brand’, a veritable social phenomenon and an ambassador for Made in Italy products around the world. Its success was vindicated in 2017, when a first-generation Fiat 500 – which gave the Italian people the gift of mobility and freedom in the ’50s – was added to the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, a world-renowned temple of art and design. With the 2007 second generation, the Fiat 500 became an icon of the Italian fashion and style that have conquered the world. Now in 2020, the third generation of the New 500 is once again ready to revolutionize urban mobility in the name of sustainability, powered by innovation and technology.
Then as now, there is a need to restart from a positive energy that only Italian style can set free. What could be better to contribute to that change than a new Fiat 500?
Virtual Casa 500: a virtual museum to celebrate the birthday of an icon
Today, July 4, 2020 – the birthday of the 500 – the events kicked off in Turin, the birthplace of the first generation of the legendary car, where it all began. Production of the New 500 began on the fully renovated production lines at the Mirafiori plant, with the fourth floor of the Pinacoteca Agnelli art museum, at the Lingotto complex, hosting the Virtual Casa 500. This is Fiat’s big surprise to celebrate its icon.
A virtual museum, recounting the past, present and future of the 500 permanent exhibition to be visited from your smartphone, PC or tablet. It is a dynamic journey, from the ’50s to the present day, telling a story that belongs to each and every one of us, just like the 500.
We would like to invite you to a private view of the “Casa 500”, within the walls of the Pinacoteca at Lingotto, due to open in spring 2021. Change requires an awareness of origins, roots and home. Mirafiori has been home to the Fiat 500, but it was first based at Lingotto, the birthplace of the first 500, the 500A Topolino in 1936: the Pinacoteca – with Fiat as its main sponsor – is the only place the celebration could be hosted. The brand’s bond with the Pinacoteca Agnelli is a matter of shared history and values. After all, both the Company and the Pinacoteca have endowed the City of Turin with international visibility, while also acting as Italy’s ambassadors to the world.
In the digital environment of the Virtual Casa 500, everything is but a click away: the 11 themed zones – The Legacy; Made of Italy; New 500 One-offs; Diary of an Icon; A Journey through 3 Generations; New 500 Experience; 500 Design Story; A Story of Social Relevance; The Future Starts Here; 500 Vintage Vibes; Open for Change – take the visitor on an immersive journey through the world of the 500, to evoke memories, dreams and feelings. The first area, focused on the industrial and cultural heritage of the Fiat 500, gives an account of how the timeless pop icon interpreted the needs of three generations: the 1957 democratic 500, the individualistic 2007 model, eventually reaching the 2020 electric version. A journey that began in Turin in 1957 and would come to conquer the world. A pathway through the car’s three generations, the brainchild of gifted visionaries and their ingenuity, it can also be experienced in the icons of Italian design exhibited in the Made of Italy area. These objects, one of which is the Fiat 500, subverted the rules of design and changed perceptions. The historical zone includes a multimedia journal of memories, to explore a wealth of the content – interviews, ads, events and awards – that made the Fiat 500 an international star. An unmissable collection of sketches and images recount the evolving design and the creative adventure that breathed life into three generations of Fiat’s little one. We then come to the area focused on the New 500: the true star of the show, an icon of Italian culture, to be discovered in detail through a 3D Experience. The most charismatic city car is unveiled to visitors in a display of its electric and emotional power at the service of environmental sustainability. The area dedicated to the One-offs presents the three exclusive interpretations of the New 500 by Armani, Bvlgari and Kartell: timeless masterpieces characterized by craftsmanship and sustainability. At the end of this incredible journey, take a break in a “Chill Zone”, a place to relax beneath a ceiling installation that recalls a huge starlit sky: the New 500 has a contribution to make to keeping the skies of every city clearer and calmer.
The ordering process is now open for the New 500 “la Prima” cabrio
But that’s not it for the birthday surprises. Today, July 4, 2020, the ordering process opens at all Fiat dealerships for the New 500 “la Prima” cabrio. Its debut took place in Milan on March 4, in a numbered Launch Edition, while June 8 saw the presentation of the New 500 “la Prima” hatchback, available for online pre-booking along with the cabrio version.
Customers who have pre-booked the limited edition New 500 “la Prima” cabrio – which sold out in no time – will be contacted directly by the dealership they selected, to provide them with personal assistance to start the process to convert their online expression of interest into a full order for the car itself. Everyone else is free to visit dealerships to start the process to order the New 500 cabrio, even if they have not pre-booked online.
The specs of the New 500 “la Prima” cabrio
The New 500 “la Prima” cabrio is the first open-air four-seater with zero CO2 emissions: fully open, fully electric, fully noise-free. As an icon of Italian culture, it had to be reborn to set free all its appeal. It is clearly a 500, and as such it cannot but embody style and attention to detail. Starting with the FIAT Monogram Soft Top, continuing via the bodywork colors available – Mineral Grey (metallic), reminiscent of the Earth; Ocean Green (pearlescent), representing the sea; and Celestial Blue (three-layer), as a tribute to the sky – and finishing off with the full LED headlights, eco-leather upholstery, 17” diamond-cut wheels, chrome-plated accents on the windows and side panels, and the 85 kW fast charger, all as standard.
In terms of equipment, “la Prima” comes with some of the most advanced ADAS systems available, also as standard:
- Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control (iACC) and Lane Centering
- Traffic Sign Recognition
- Autonomous Emergency Brake with pedestrian and cyclist recognition
- Intelligent Speed Assistant
- Lane Control
We have added more new technology too, including:
- High-resolution rear camera
- Automatic twilight and dazzle sensors
- Emergency call
- Electronic parking brake
The New 500 “la Prima” cabrio is fitted with level 2 autonomous driving – for the first time in the city car segment, and comes with the new UConnect 5 infotainment system: 7” TFT Display, 10.25” Touch Screen NAV, DAB Radio, Wireless CarPlay / Android Auto, with the Uconnect Box pre-installed as standard to provide a suite of innovative connected Uconnect Services – making their debut in the New 500 “la Prima” cabrio – including “over-the-air” map updates and the option to interact with your car using Amazon Alexa voice assistant technology.
A world of apps for an all-round experience of the New 500
The Fiat car of the future is not only an electric city car, it is also an incredibly technological and connected car. One more new feature: a veritable family of apps to be downloaded on your smartphone, for an all-round experience of the New 500. The Fiat engineers wanted to bring together a set of connectivity functions in a single platform – the FIAT app – accessed with nothing but your FCA credentials. The aim is to make the New 500 offering even more comprehensive, and to meet customers’ varying requirements in all circumstances: home and public charging, innovative on-board solutions and remote car management.
FIAT app
The FIAT app is the inseparable companion of the New 500. Already available for download in a demo version from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, the app gives you remote control over your 500: you can check charging status, open and close the doors, and turn on the lights and aircon. You can search for the nearest public charging points and manage car maintenance. If needed or if danger strikes, the car can put the driver in immediate contact with an operator to dispatch the emergency services. Using the “My Navigation” feature, you can also plan your journey the night before and send it to the 500, to find it ready for use the next morning. Even better, when you first sign up to the FIAT app, you will be directed to the App Store so you can enjoy the full experience with the My easy Charge and My easyWallbox apps.
My easy Charge
In the My easy Charge app, you can manage public charging at around 150,000 points in Europe, thanks to Fiat’s partnership with Digital Charging Solutions (DCS), the largest public charging network in the European Union. With My easy Charge, you can immediately identify the nearest charge point, check its availability, start the charging process and pay. When you purchase a 500 “la Prima” cabrio or hatchback, the first three months’ subscription to My easy Charge is included in the price.
My easyWallbox
My easyWallbox is the app developed for remote home charging management, and will soon be available from your app Store. Rather than connecting to a normal power socket, you can recharge your 500 faster with the wallbox and take advantage of time slots when energy costs less. For convenience, the FCA e-Mobility team has joined forces with two of Europe’s leading energy suppliers, ENGIE and ENEL X on three new 500-branded wallboxes – the easyWallbox produced by ENGIE EPS and two connected wallboxes, one produced by the ENGIE Group (EVBOX), the other by ENEL X – offering convenient and effective home charging solutions. For example, you can set a timer to start the car charging at midnight, when electricity tariffs are cheaper, then to stop at 05:00 when the most advantageous time slot ends. You can also keep track of how much electricity is used, to check your expenditure efficiently and quickly.
SOURCE: FCA