Fiat 500C Leaked Out Ahead of Its Geneva Motor Show Debut
The Fiat 500C has leaked out ahead of its Geneva Motor Show debut, and as suspected, the open-top retromobile is equipped with a sliding canvas roof.
Available in three colors (ivory, red and black), this original soft top will be matched with several bodywork color schemes, two of which have been conceived specifically for the new car, i.e. a brilliant Pearl Red and a special Warm Grey typical of sports supercars.
Evocative of “freedom and emotion”, the new cabriolet looked back to the 500’s history, drawing inspiration from the 1957 model-year convertible. Created by the Fiat Styling Center and manufactured at the Tichy plant in Poland, the 500C incorporates all the strong points of the basic model, namely top-of-segment safety features, 4-adult seat habitability and generous luggage space. Unlike the original, though, the 500C’s roof is electrically operated, and slides back into a neat ruffle of fabric atop the glass rear window.
Unlike it’s closest competitor - the MINI Cooper Convertible - the 500C has the same dimensions as its classic car counterpart. At 3.55 meters x 1.65 m x 1.49 m, the tiny 500C is angling to be the perfect weekend-adventure city car. Besides, the company claims the car will have a relatively untouched luggage space, even with the top down. They say they are using a “clever parallelogram hinge device” to fold the ragtop over the luggage compartment, keeping the gear untouched.
Featuring an innovative softtop - a fully fledged window to the sky - the new 500C comes with the same three powerplants: the 1.3 liter 75 HP Multijet Turbodiesel coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission and the two 1.2 liter 69 HP and 1.4 liter 100 HP gasoline engines, available with either manual or robotized Dualogic transmission. Providing different features, all three engine types are generously sized. Moreover, as proof of Fiat Automobiles commitment to ecology and sustainable mobility, the new 500C incorporates the innovative “Start&Stop” system, a device controlling momentary engine shutdown and subsequent reignition. The system shuts off the engine when the driver shifts into neutral, and releases the clutch after coming to a complete stop. The engine is reignited when the driver selects a gear.
The new Fiat 500C will be introduced to the public at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Everybody expects sales to begin later this year in Europe, with U.S. distribution likely in 2010.
Overall, its many special features make this new car one of the best turned out cabriolet models currently on offer in the city-car segment. The 500C is the proof of Fiat’s undisputed leadership in this vehicle class where continuous innovation ensures that its position as the industry’s standard is maintained. In fact the car sets new levels of in terms of comfort and safety, engineering and appointments whilst maintaining that unique and inimitable “Italian style”.