The Italian manufacturer is set to unveil the convertible version of the ubiquitous Fiat 500 today in Geneva.
From fix it again to ECOTY
1957 Fiat 500 Convertible
Way back in 1984, the Fiat Group was forced to retreat from the U.S. with its corporate tail between its legs. Many of its vehicles at the time were legendary for spending as much or more time in the repair shop than on the road and the onslaught of reliable Japanese vehicles into the American market was the final nail in the coffin.
Today, the company is the largest automobile manufacturer in Italy and its European market share is ahead of Toyota, Nissan and Honda. As recently as 2008, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne stated that he was looking for an “industrial partner” to manufacture the company’s retro-styled “500” sedan (and European Car of the Year winner in 2008) in the U.S. This means that if Chrysler can keep it together long enough for their partnership to come to fruition, we just might see the iconic sedan and its newest sibling, the 500 convertible, on this side of the pond in the next 2 years.
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Cinquecento Convertible
Fiat continues the retro styling of the sedan by borrowing styling cues from the original 500 convertible. Equipped with a sliding canvas top a’la the original 1957 500 convertible, the newest 500 retains the same roofline and C-pillar as the hardtop version. This means that the droptop will retain a high degree of the sedan’s structural rigidity, minimizing the blind spots found in both the MINI convertible as well as the New Beetle soft top.
According to sources, the top will come in three colors – black, ivory and red, while a built-in spoiler, located at the trailing edge of the roof, will keep the center-mounted third brake light visible at all times, regardless of the position of the soft top.
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Engine choices are carried over from the sedan with the availability of either a 1.2 or 1.4 liter engine. Also said to be in the offing is a 1.3 liter unit with start-stop technology.
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