Our friends at Automobile Magazine caught a few pictures of the Fiat 500 being tested on the roads around Ann Arbor, Michigan. Click here to read the story and view the pictures.
The pictures posted show a similar front end with the European version of the 500 and not the hybrid Abarth/regular 500 bumper previously leaked on the internet, and discussed earlier on this site. You can read that post here.
One thing noticeable at the back of the car is a new round tailpipe. Now whether this will make it to the final US version is, of course, unknown, but it is something to keep an eye on.
As the 500 gets closer to production, expect more spy shots and we'll see if the hybrid bumper shows up again. I have the feeling it will;)
Photo courtesy of automobilemag.com
3 comments:
Very interesting indeed!
I rather like the rectangular tailpipe used on the European spec 500's but my guess is to lessen tailpipe restrictions is the reason for the round unit seen on these US spec vehicles as they look a touch larger overall. If the car IS a bit wider, these photos, granted not the best don't really show they are too obviously wider than they currently are.
The excitement builds...
Hi John,
I've study the pictures very closely. Putting the photos side by side, I too, can't tell any difference between the Euro version and these. I have seen other photos of these and similar test cars on an Italian website and they all look the same outwardly.
I think these are undergoing mechanical tests.
The other photos that were erroneously published on the Facebook page show a very different front end. I hope you had a chance to view them before they were taken down.
I kept my other post up for posterity and when that new design shows back up. Keep an eye out for this.
I'm hoping I'll have more info on this in the next few weeks.
Best regards, Chris
I did see that post of the "new" front end post here and what it looks like is the more aggressive Abarth profile, but with the pedestrian, but slightly wider bottom grill and driving lamp housing.
I thought the new Panda platform is a bit larger, not dramatically, but perhaps a tad wider for a smidgen more room inside and as you may well know, a little bit of extra room can mane for a lot in a small car.
Anyway, I'll be watching the developments very closely as well.
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