17.09.2004 Fiat will offer visitors to the Paris Motor Show a stand of huge stylistic and architectural allure, an area that has been designed to allow visitors to appreciate the entire Fiat range

Fiat will offer visitors to the Paris Motor Show a stand of huge stylistic and architectural allure.

The area is designed to involve the public on different levels and allow visitors to appreciate the entire Fiat range while also experiencing the emotions that the brand claims as its own.

Fiat's self-declared mission is this: to be an Italian company that produces well-styled, practical cars that are accessible to all.

Cars packed with creative, clever solutions for a better quality of everyday life. The same philosophy that led the architects to produce the stand set up at the 76th Paris International Motor Show.

Italian design is, in fact, the leit-motif underlying both car product and exhibition area. Visitors may admire our stand appointments: lights, seats, tables and many other items that have aided the development of Italian industrial design.

Here you can admire the cars on show as you sit comfortably on armchairs and seats with a distinctively Italian flavour. The entire stand acts as a truly unique stage set. Stairways and slides divide exhibition areas that are arranged on different levels and painted in different shades. The walls of the Fiat building feature LED screens onto which films are projected while the flooring is in metallescent lacquer. The uplit platforms on which the cars are exhibited are in steel and glass.

Against this stunning backdrop, visitors are free to discover the concepts of contemporary appeal, ingenuity and ease of use that are perennial features of Fiat products. The same guidelines have always steered the Fiat Style Centre in its quest for state-of-the-art solutions and structures. An example?

The Panda 4x4 introduced a few days ago in Tuscany. Two cars are on show in Paris: a vanilla yellow 1.2 Climbing and one of the two off-road superminis that reached the Everest advance base camp at 5200 metres. This was the very first time that a small off-road vehicle has reached this altitude and, fittingly, this 4x4 is displayed on a special platform that simulates an off-road environment.

While still in the area reserved for the model crowned 'Car of the Year 2004' and 'European Car of 2004', visitors can also admire the 'Panda Alessi', an innovative concept car with an unmistakable style of its own that was born out of a joint venture between two brands renowned throughout the world for their contribution to the development of Italian industrial design. Fiat and Alessi have created a highly personal formal language that makes their product easily distinguishable amongst the herd of mass-produced products.

Design and innovation, style and character: these are the traits suggested by an extraordinary multimedia installation present on the stand. The sophisticated system, set up for the first time at the Paris Motor Show, proposes a new category of car that combines in one form the elegance of a saloon, the space of an MPV and the convenience of a station wagon. This is yet another innovative way to tell visitors about new trends at the Fiat design studio.

The system consists of a large led screen (17x2 metres) used as a backdrop and a 10 m2 semitransparent plate that operates as an oleographic screen. This depicts, on a 1:1 scale, a young couple intent on designing their own ideal car as images expressing their desires and dreams flit over another led screen. The result is a new way of perceiving the car, a sum of values that is represented graphically by the symbol '+', an easily understood positive sign that usefully expresses the attributes of this new category of car: + tall, + good-looking, + comfortable, + long and + roomy.

The French Motor Show would not be complete without the Fiat Idea, the original model that represents a new motoring experience. The model succeeds in combining two very different motoring concepts: handling and compact size on the one hand (it measures a little under four metres in length, 1.70 metres in width and 1.66 metres in height) - and all the modularity and versatility of a true MPV on the other. Visitors to the area set aside for the Idea will be able to discover two new versions: the Style and the 5Terre. The former is a reliable, versatile ally, always around to help women juggling work and family commitments, a car with an extra touch of sophistication. The Fiat Idea 5Terre is a show car that is distinctive for its ability to appeal across the board. The model combines a stylish shape with typical off road features, a design and styling approach that will make for interesting products in the future and will affect the SUV - MPV segments in particular.

Great attention will also be focused on the Stilo MY 2004 and the Stilo Multi Wagon version. The recently facelifted model offers some exterior changes and two new engines: the gutsy 95 bhp 1.4 16v combined with a 6 speed manual gearbox and the powerful 140 bhp 1.9 Multijet 16v. The latter power unit is fitted to the 5 door Dynamic version on show in Paris but the limelight is reserved for three brand new versions of the model: the 'Schumacher' limited Special Series and the 'Racing' Special Series, sports cars for young customers on the move that will make the hearts of their many fans beat faster, and the Multi Wagon Uproad, a car that represents a brand new way of defining and appreciating freedom to travel.

The host of new products displayed at the French event all express the will to experiment of our Fiat designers and technicians. It is in our genes to produce models that are icons of their own time and often look to the future with their cutting-edge mechanical solutions. Fiat also backs its revolutionary products with unmistakable design that has always made its models immediately recognisable amidst the run-of-the-mill traffic on the road today.

In Paris, Fiat also displays the most recent results of its ongoing commitment to meet motorists' needs more closely. This commitment is evident in the multi-faceted nature of our product range, in our new models and also in the variants and updates to existing ranges. The fertile nature of this breeding ground is illustrated by the two current production cars on the stand. Firstly, the new Fiat Punto, displayed in two versions: a 3 door and a 5 door version, both equipped with a 70 bhp 1.3 16v Multijet engine. Visitors can also entertain themselves with the X-Box games console located in the mushroom-shaped stand near the two Punto cars.

Near the segment B leader, you can also see a New Multipla, the car that packs a 3+3 configuration into a little over 4 metres: Fiat was the first manufacturer to introduce this absolutely revolutionary concept to this specific sector. The model has also been slightly revised in its design and equipment and the new features were warmly received by its European audience. Not to mention the fact that the version on view at the Motor Show offers one of the new features available on the New Multipla: a DVD player installed on the ceiling.

The Paris catwalk is also graced by the New Doblò, now with a look that is more fun and bears a closer family resemblance to the latest Fiat models.

Lastly, four glass show cases house the second-generation Common Rail engines: two 70 bhp 1.3 Multijet 16v engines, a 140 bhp 1.9 Multijet 16v and a 100 bhp 1.9 Multijet 8v engine. The four power units on show are the result of the most advanced engineering developed by the Fiat Group. They offer generous performance, good fuel economy and respect for environmental matters.