Fiat

Music, art, and togetherness

Turin July 3, 2008 -- Soon it will be July 5th – and that means there will be elaborate celebrations for the first birthday of the FIAT 500. From Italy to Japan, from France to South Africa: All those who own and those who can’t wait to get one will be the guests of honour of the "500 PICNIC”, the initiative conceived to share the passion and emotion that distinguish this huge community (picnic guests will receive a gift "basket" signed Guzzini with several FIAT gadgets).

2008 Fiat 500

Turin, 24.06.08 -- Fiat Group Automobiles, with the brands Fiat and Fiat Professional, are participating as Technical Sponsor in the "Green Schooner" initiative, which will run from 27th June to 18th August. The initiative is a summer campaign run by Legambiente, which has been travelling the Italian coastlines since 1986, providing information on seawater cleanliness and organizing events linked to safeguarding the marine and coastal ecosystem.

Turin, June 16, 2008 -- The De Graef Fiat dealership in Cologne has won first place at European level for customer service. It is the result of the latest ADAC EuroTest on ‘EDC in automotive applications’ during which the German Automobile Club examined European car dealers. During the study, the examiners simulated 500 sales transactions, in 50 European cities, at the dealerships of ten different car manufacturers. As well as ability to provide promotional information and advice on ESP, the judges looked at detailed technical knowledge, and general knowledge on safety and car safety systems.

Fiat Grande Punto MY 2008 closer to the world of youth

09/06/2008 -- On 14 and 15 June, a Fiat dealer network open door event will be held in Italy devoted to the Fiat Grande Punto Model Year 2008. The model has consistently played a leading role in all international markets (sales of over 850,000 since the launch, of which half outside Italy) and has now been revamped to offer customers significant new exterior features, a new range designed to appeal even more to the young, higher value due to the addition of major features as standard such as the sophisticated latest-generation ESP system with built in Hill Holder and, last but not least, new product packages based on the innovative Blue&MeTM entertainment and communications system.

New ‘free space’ vehicle from Fiat

Turin, 16 June 2008 -- Fiorino Qubo is the name of the new car marketed by the Fiat dealer network. This original name clearly conveys the model’s attributes: it is reliable and robust, as well as being uniquely practical and versatile. And the original choice of the letter Q evokes the distinctive personality of the car as much as the rounded profile of the exterior shape.

2008 Fiat Fiorino Qubo

Celebrations throughout the world and new treats for the community

Turin, 30 May 2008 -- The Fiat 500 is one year old, there will be great celebrations throughout the world on 5 July. From Italy to Japan and France to South Africa, all owners - and those who can't wait to become one -will be guests of honour at the ‘500 PICNIC’ events, a campaign introduced to share the passion and thrills of this great community.

The Fiat 500 Is One Year Old

Turin, 19 May 2008 -- Alfa Romeo was the indisputable star of the Mille Miglia 2008 historical re-enactment: after its win in 2007, this year a Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Super Sport dating from 1928 – driven by Luciano and Antonio Viaro – again won the marathon reserved for historical cars, with an Alfa 6C 1750 Gran Sport driven by the Argentine team of Fernando Sanchez Zinni and Juan Bartolomè close behind at the finish post.

1928 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Super Sport

Turin 07/05/2008 -- The Fiat 500 continues to get itself talked about and once again in innovative and spectacular style. In the heart of Berlin at the legendary Checkpoint Charlie, on the corner of Friedrichstraße, the new Italian cult car calls out to passers-by from the top of a huge advertising cube with videos, messages in lights and giant hoardings.

From two hoardings, each measuring 288 square metres, the Fiat 500 invites passers-by to send a text (password “Fiat 500”, number 84000). The result is a 20 metre message strip with scrolling messages and greetings that also appear live on the homepage of the new Fiat 500 via Rss-Feed.

Turin 18.04.08 -- Among the ten biggest-selling automotive manufacturers in Europe, Fiat Automobiles is the brand that recorded the lowest average CO2 emission value for Fiat vehicles sold in 2007: 137.3 g/km. This record was awarded by the company JATO, world leader for consultancy and research in the automotive field, set up in 1984 and present in more than 40 countries.

The JATO analysis placed the Fiat brand ahead of Peugeot (141.9 g/km), Citroen (142.2 g/km), Renault (146.4 g/km), Toyota (141.9 g/km), Ford (149.1 g/km), Opel/Vauxhall (152.9 g/km), Volkswagen (161.7 g/km), BMW (176.7g/km) and Mercedes (188.4 g/km).

Turin 15 April 2008 -- This slogan launched an original advertising campaign for Fiat Automobiles which underlines the way every Fiat car encapsulates all the values that have contributed to the unanimously-acclaimed success of the new Fiat 500.

The campaign was created by the Turin office of Leo Burnett Italia Group and is intended for international consumption as evidenced by the plans for a Europe-wide TV, press and radio campaign. In particular, a TV commercial with an epic flavour, filmed on a Moroccan salt lake on the border with Algeria has now been airing for a few days. The film is directed by Alexander Paul and opens with some Fiat models on a sensational drive through a sun-baked desert. The soundtrack to the action is the timeless melody "Everybody needs Somebody".

Turin, April 9, 2008 -- Exactly 50 years on, a group of Fiat 500s will once again return to historic Liege in Belgium – leading a 10-day celebration of one of the greatest endurance rallies ever.

The Fiat 500s, dating from the 1950s, are part of a stunning entry list confirmed by organisers of this July’s Liege-Brescia-Liege rally which, in 1958 was unique. Then, the challenge comprised 3300km of gruelling roads, including treacherous mountain passes through the Alps, Dolomites and Yugoslavia, driven flat out – and all in cars of less than 500cc.

17/03/2008 -- “Grande Punto Stickers Lab”, a new Internet venture developed by Fiat in conjunction with ARC Leo Burnett, will be online until 30 April. Users of this digital workshop are asked to work with the Fiat Team to come up with new customisation designs for one of the most successful models in the range: the Fiat Grande Punto.

Fiat's homepage of the “Grande Punto Stickers Lab” website: The Place for Fiat Grande Punto Customisation

19/02/2008 -- At the Geneva Showroom, Fiat Automobiles and Fiat Professional present a wide articulated stand of high visual impact. Made in collaboration with Brand Promotion and Centro Stile Fiat, the concept of the exposition area is developed on a total surface of around 1350 square metres on two floors, proposing voluminous and sinuous architectural forms with a “premium' finish, played out over smooth white, plated glass and mirrored steel.

22/02/2008 -- After the success of the new Fiat 500 in Turin, Paris, Berlin and London, attention has turned to Tokyo (Japan) where a novel exhibition was dedicated to the car. The event saw more that 500 guests participate, including journalists, entertainers, representatives from Italian institutions (including ambassador Mario Bova) and the managing director of Fiat Automobiles - Lorenzo Sistino.

Through this striking exhibition, the Italian brand paid homage to Japanese culture, underlining the strong ties that unite the two nations. Japan is particularly attuned to the best Made in Italy products – from fashion to design, gastronomy and art. Among these, the Fiat Group has contributed to shaping the "automobile culture" even outside of the national confines.

Turin, 21 February 2008 -- The prize-giving ceremony for the “AUTOBEST 2008” award, the winner of which is the Fiat Linea, took place yesterday evening in Istanbul (Turkey). The Fiat Linea was selected by an international jury composed of 15 specialist journalists, representing as many countries which number in total approximately 300 million people: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey and Ukraine.

20/02/2008 -- The new Fiat Group Automobiles Styling Center in Torino hosted the awards ceremony for the EuroCarBody 2007 prize, assigned to the Fiat 500 bodyshell by a forum of around 600 outstanding experts in car body development, manufacturing and assembly. The trophy, presented by Mathias Woydt, vice president of the event’s organizer Automotive Circle International, was received by the Fiat Group’s Chief Technical Officer, Harald J. Wester.

This is the first time the Fiat brand has won the EuroCarBody title, and only the second time it’s participated in the competition: an impressive achievement, and even more so in view of the fact that the award had never before been assigned to a subcompact in its entire eight-year history.

Turin, January 28, 2008 -- The “Car of the Year 2008” award, which was given to the Fiat 500 by a jury of 58 specialist journalists from 22 European countries, was presented this evening at a ceremony in Berlin.

Fiat’s supermini was not only the overall winner, it also received votes from the largest number of jury members: 57 out of 58 included the car on their short lists, and no fewer than 33 put it in first place. It is also the second A-Segment car – the first was the Fiat Panda in 2004 – to win the worldwide motor industry’s most prestigious title. An extraordinary record, that brings the total Car of the Year titles won by Fiat Group Automobiles to twelve.

Turin, January 22, 2008 -- FIAT Group Automobiles UK Ltd last night (Mon Jan 21) launched the stunning new Fiat 500 with a flight in one of the capsules on the British Airways London Eye.

The Fiat 500 took to the sky at 8.00pm – exactly 500 hours into 2008 – as a fantastic light show lit up a showbiz and celebrity event on the banks of the River Thames.

2008 Fiat 500 launch on the London Eye

Around 500 VIPs including Kelly Osbourne, Jade Jagger, Eva Herzigova, Eddie Jordan, Leah Wood and 1,500 people were invited to the all-ticket launch event, which featured fantastic live performances by pop sensations Mika, The Feeling and The Vibrants.

21January 2008 -- Today at Monte Carlo (Monaco), Felipe Massa was presented with a Fiat 500 powered by an exclusive 1.4 litre, 120 bhp engine and personalised with unique graphic details, such as his signature embossed in the sill scuff plate.

With Pearl White paintwork and interior trim in brown Cordura, the supermini given to the Scuderia Ferrari driver is, of course, the Sport variant, with a Skydome electric sunroof, 16” diamond alloy finish and red brake callipers.

- Honda, Toyota Each Capture Four Awards in South Africa Automotive Customer Satisfaction Index Study
- J.D. Power and Associates and CAR Magazine Report: Industry Achieves Record High Results for a Second Consecutive Year

JOHANNESBURG, January 21, 2008 — Honda and Toyota models capture four segment awards each, earning more awards than any other manufacturer, according to the J.D. Power and Associates/CAR Magazine 2007 South Africa Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) StudySM released today.