Fiat 500 debuts in Hungary

On 4 July 1957, an iconic car was conceived in Turin: the first Fiat 500. It also took off in Hungary, and the mini car became a symbol of Fiat.

Exactly 50 years later, on 4 July 2007, the reincarnation of the great predecessor, the new 500, was presented in Turin. The ultimate design of the retro mini car was created by Fiat Centro Stile. The returning 500 convinced a jury of journalists and it won the “Car of the year 2008” award.

The new 500 is produced in Tychy (southern Poland). The incredibly compact three-door model is 355cm long, 165 cm wide and 149 cm tall, with a wheelbase of 230 cm. It promises an exciting driving experience. Fans can choose between three types of engines: the 1.3 litre 16-valve 75 horsepower Multijet turbo diesel, and two petrol engines – a 1.2 litre 8-valve with 69 horsepower and a 1.4 litre 16-valve with 100 horsepower.

In the EuroNCAP crash test the 500 achieved a five-star result (with 35 points), making it the safest car in its category. This result was largely due to the passive safety devices which come as standard (two dual stage front airbags, two front side airbags, two window-bags and a driver’s knee airbag). The new Fiat 500 offers fully developed electronic systems monitoring the movement of the car as standard: the anti-lock braking system complete with electronic brakeforce distribution, anti-skid regulation (ASR) to limit wheel spin during acceleration with electronic stability programme (ESP), and MSR to modulate brake torque, hydraulic brake assist (HBA) and the Hill Holder.

Some 500,000 different versions can be ordered with the help of the configurator. If you value practicality, but would still like to drive a fun and stylish car, then the new 500 is definitely for you. Five hundred are expected to be sold in Hungary this year. It may not be among the cheapest of cars, but it can be yours for HUF 2.8 million (EUR 10,840), and the extremely well equipped 1.3 Mjet Lounge is priced at just HUF 3.6 million (HUF 13,940).