The Fiat 500 is celebrating its 2 millionth sale this month, ten years after its introduction in 2007. This accomplishment is a fitting tribute for the 500 which also commemorated its 60th anniversary earlier this month. The 1957 Nuova 500, the inspiration for the modern car, racked up 4 million sales between 1957 and 1975, 400,000 of which can still be found on Italian roads today.
The 2 millionth Fiat 500 was delivered to a customer in Germany. Fiat released this promotional video to commemorate the milestone.
The new Fiat 500 has been a worldwide phenomenon, being sold in more than 100 markets and produced in two countries. The Fiat 500 is the best selling car in its class in Europe, ranking first in eight countries there and among the top three in six others. Even in the North America, more than 200,000 Fiat 500s have been sold since its introduction here in 2011.
Let's take a brief look at how the Fiat 500 achieved this milestone. Follow the links to get the full picture!
Video from 2012 commemorating the 1 millionth Fiat 500 built.
Fiat Trepiùno Show Car
The Fiat 500 began life in 2004 as a design exercise called the Fiat Trepiùno and took inspiration from the 1957 Fiat 500; the car that brought affordable automotive transportation to the masses in Italy. The Trepiùno drew so much recognition and praise that Fiat gave the go-ahead for a production version. For the first time in automotive history, the general public was solicited over the internet for their ideas and suggestions for this tribute to the iconic Fiat 500. The results were outstanding. A remarkable 3 million suggestions poured in from those who registered on the Fiat 500 Wants You website, many of which were incorporated into the design of the new Fiat 500. The Fiat 500 is truly "The car for the people, by the people."
Read more:
Fiat 500: The Car of the People, by the People
Fiat 500 launch videos
The New Fiat 500 Began with the Fiat Trepiùno
Fiat 500 Birthday Articles
Besides being a superb example of Italian style and showcasing Fiat's undisputed leadership in small car design, the Fiat 500 also brings award- winning technology to its segment. In Europe, the Fiat 500 was the first car its size to earn a five-star crash rating in the Euro NCAP tests, the first car to have seven airbags as standard equipment and the first car to offer advanced Electronic Stability Program (ESP) on all models.
The Fiat 500 has won over 140 awards from all over the world. Here are a few:
- Car Design of the Year 2007
- The prestigious European Car of the Year award in 2008.
- World Car Design of 2009.
- The 500's TwinAir engine won the 2011 International Engine of the Year award.
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The Fiat 500 has been an enormous sales hit, being consistently number one or two in its segment. An interesting statistic is in its first year and a half of sales, the Fiat 500 racked up approximately 186,000 registrations. It took the 1957 Fiat 500 four years to achieve 180,000 sales.
In addition to being a best-seller in Europe, the Fiat 500 has had a number of sales successes in this country over the past few years. In its introductory year in 2011, the Fiat 500 outsold the MINI in its first year. In the following few years, the 500 then went on to rack up impressive sales numbers compared to its well-known competition. These sales are a remarkable result for a small city-car that started just a few years earlier with no brand presence and no dealer network.
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The future's looking bright as there are some exciting changes coming for the Fiat 500 in the spring of 2018. We'll have more on this so stay tuned!
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Inside the Fiat 500 factory...
Manufacturing the North American Fiat 500
Behind the scenes at the North American Fiat 500 factory
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Sources: Fiat SpA, Chrysler Media, Fiat Brazil, Fiat Auto Poland
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