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Friday, June 19, 2015

2016 Fiat 500 Spotted, Debuting Soon.

Image of the 2016 Fiat 500 front end, courtesy of AlVolante

Images of undisguised 2016 Fiat 500 hatchbacks have been published on the Italian website AlVolante. They show the front fascia of the 2016 Fiat 500 has subtle changes to the grille opening and bumper shape including a new character line running under the European high-beam headlight / US turn signal. The Fiat 500's trademark chrome whiskers have been reshaped and new chrome accents added to the front intake opening. The grille mesh texture has also been revised. Headlights that show a family relationship to the 500X crossover and new, LED daytime running lights are also featured on the new 500.


Images of the rear of the 2016 500 published in the Alvolante story show a similar reshaping of the back bumper with a chrome accent placed a little lower that the current car's bumper rub strip. The taillights have been redesigned and now use LED technology.

Other exterior changes are new alloy wheel designs, and new exterior paint colors will be offered.

The refreshed 2016 500 is getting an interior makeover incorporating some of the 2011 North American 500 updates. These include a covered glovebox, replacing the open parcel shelf used in Europe, and round power window switches taking the place of the trapezoidal ones previously used. A redesigned steering wheel with chrome inserts is also new as well as the fabric and leather upholstery offered.

Image showing the 2016 Fiat 500 Uconnect Navigation System. courtesy of Italian Quattroruote website.

The most prominent change to the interior will be a navigation unit integrated into the dashboard, replacing the previous add-on TomTom unit that was mounted to the top of the dash via a detachable cradle. The new nav unit will be Chrysler's award-winning Uconnect system, known for its ease of uses and full feature set.

Mechanically, the 2016 Fiat 500 will receive new front brakes.

All told, the new 2016 Fiat 500 retains the iconic style of the 2007 design but with a fresh face and improved functionality. It is a welcome update while we wait for a more thorough redesign, currently expected to show up sometime after 2017.

Look for the refreshed 2016 Fiat 500 to debut on July 4th this year. It is the 58th anniversary of the 500 and Fiat says it has big plans to celebrate. Keep an eye on this spot.

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Images used with permission from AlVolante and Quattroruote

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