By the time the Fiat 500 gets to the showrooms it will be among the most throughly tested cars in the world. Fiat and Chrysler have partnered on making the 2012 Fiat 500 the best version yet.
Read below how they tested the 500:
Putting the Fiat 500 to the test...
Fiat 500 engineers tested the new 2012 model for more than 4 million miles during its reliability and durability evaluations at the Chrysler Group’s scientific labs, proving grounds and on public roads in various climates.
This is on top of the more than 2.4 million kilometers (1.5 million miles) the European 500 had been tested.
This video shows how some of the testing is being conducted and how they rack up all those miles.
Public-road reliability testing, initially done by Fiat prior to the 500’s European launch, is being conducted again in North America to validate the recent engineering changes as well as to collect feedback from American drivers.
The fleet of early-production Fiat 500 vehicles is being tested day and night on various road surfaces in different North American climates to identify any potential reliability issues. The drivers also scrutinize functional aspects of each vehicle, such as heating and ventilation systems, storage compartments and window operation.
While this testing is overseen by the Engineering team, the test drivers are not part of the Fiat 500 development team and most do not have engineering experience. The test drivers were intentionally selected to reflect the diversity of American customers of different ages, sizes and ethnicities. The development team reviews the test results each day and makes any necessary adjustments to ensure the quality of customer vehicles.
“The Fiat 500 is an icon of efficient personal transportation, and for its U.S. premiere, we adapted the entire vehicle while retaining its Italian essence,” said Doug Betts, Senior Vice President – Quality, Chrysler Group LLC. “The Fiat 500 is an excellent package to start with. As we enhanced it to match North American driving conditions and consumer expectations, we also made sure to preserve the world-class fit-and-finish standards achieved by Fiat’s development team.”
“The new 2012 Fiat 500 has been intelligently adapted for the North American market,” Betts added. “Our customers may not know the research and validation we’ve done, but they will love the one-of-a-kind driving and ownership experience – and that’s our real goal.”
Click this link to find out what was changed on the Fiat 500 for the North American Market!
Press release courtesy of Chrysler Media
3 comments:
I keep hearing phrases like "North American driving conditions and consumer expectations". I keep fearing that they mean, "We made it float and wallow like a 1963 Imperial."
Let's hope not.
Spotted a 500 being tested on alligator alley with the new dodge charger and a new dodge mini van during the end of November. Defiantly looks like its covered some miles!
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/5203495784_4175035fa9_z.jpg
Hi kkob,
"North American driving conditions and consumer expectations" refer to the dealing with things like the pot-holed streets, desert heat and artic cold, lack of owner maintenance, etc. The types of oil available here and even how our automatic car washers and many other criteria are being evaluated. Every market and culture has certain expectations and priories on how a car operates and for a car to be successful, they need to fit in with these expectations. Don't worry. The changes made will only enhance the driving experience and not lose the character of this charismatic automobile.
Read more: http://www.fiat500usa.com/search/label/Evolution
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