The cute, lovable, timelessly iconic “Cinquecento” conquers European car loving hearts ever more: last year, almost 194,000 units were registered in Europe: the best ever annual figure in an eleven-year lifetime.

This makes the 500 the best-seller in 11 European countries, and in the top three in another four.

One of the keys to its success are the more than 30 special series. Novelties for 2018 included the new special series: 500 Mirror, 500 Collezione “Primavera”, 500 Spiaggina ’58 and 500 Collezione “Autunno”. Not to forget of course the new Abarth 595 range, the evolution of the Scorpion brand’s famous 500.

The 500 sets another record for the best-selling car in its segment, where it has also achieved its second best ever share of about 15%.

“This sales record reminds us that the 500 is a real timeless automotive icon, and not just for the Fiat brand,” declares Luca Napolitano, Head of EMEA Fiat and Abarth brand.  “Over its 11-year lifetime, the 500 has never gone out of fashion, and has been successful everywhere as a symbol of Italian and design and manufacturing.

“Like its illustrious predecessor, the new 500 has “brightened up” the daily lives and streets of the whole world, becoming a cool solution to international urban mobility needs”, he continued.

“Today it is the most global Fiat car, sold in more than 100 countries worldwide and with 80% of volumes generated outside Italy. Overall, from 2007 to the present, more than 2 million 110 thousand Fiat 500 cars have been built, rising to more than 6 million when added to those of the model’s predecessor, produced from 1957 to 1977, making it one of the best-selling Fiat models of all time”.

 

Displayed now in the New York MoMa…

The Fiat 500 F series will officially go on public display from February 10, 2019, as part of The Museum of Modern Art’s “The Value of Good Design” exhibition in New York.

To crown the achievements of 2018, a truly wonderful year, last December it was announced that on 10 February, during the “The Value of Good Design”, exhibition, the historic Fiat 500 F series car purchased by the MoMA in New York, will be put on public display for the first time, confirming its symbolic importance on the global design scene.

Sales success also for the Abarth 595…

We ourselves just love the “Cinquecento”, and its many versions. We hope to present you soon with some of them, and last but not least there is the new Abarth 595 range.

In October, in fact, the Sicilian capital hosted the debut of this latest incarnation of the famous Scorpion 500, expressing the two sides of its personality: performance and style. The new Abarth 595 was unveiled to an audience of fans during the Classic re-evocation of the legendary “Targa Florio”, the world’s oldest motorsports race. As you all know, Karl Abarth was closely associated with the Targa Florio, starting right after the War, as Sicily’s winding roads seem to be tailor-made for showing off his racing cars’ qualities. So the Scorpion and the Targa share a close bond, and a history of racing successes and memorable anecdotes.

“With around 23,500 cars sold in Europe and an increase of 36.5%, Abarth is achieving the best result in 2018,” explains Luca Napolitano, responsible for Fiat and Abarth for the EMEA region. “The results were excellent for numerous markets, such as Great Britain, with 5,600 units sold, with a record increase of 26.8%, or even more Spain, with 1,450 sales (+ 26.6%). On the Belux market, the brand also achieved a brilliant performance in 2018, with 1,452 units sold, an increase of 27% compared to 2017!

We hope to seduce you when spring comes, to treat you with our driving impressions of this totally iconic and sporting 595 Abarth, and of course you will welcome with us a test drive of the other versions of this timelessly endearing “Cinquecento”…

Hans Knol ten Bensel