At the 32nd Bologna Motor Show, Fiat Group Automobiles has dedicated a stand to its Autonomy Programme. The company has been operating this initiative since 1995 and through it provides services and individual and community vehicles to the physically challenged, always keeping pace with product novelties as they appear and making cars as user-friendly as possible to the disabled.

It is Fiat Group Automobiles’ firm belief that guaranteeing mobility to all is not only a moral and civil objective of paramount importance, but a goal which the entire community must strive to achieve, a cornerstone for the economic and cultural growth of modern society. For that reason, the company has long dedicated time and energy to accomplishing what, in this field, must be the specific task of a carmaker: namely to design and put in place technical solutions capable of offering everybody the chance to use any kind a vehicle, whether it be individual or collective, without limitation. A concrete example? In 2007 in Italy, more than 1100 Fiat Group Automobiles vehicles complying with Autonomy Programme guidelines were sold and more than 900 people took advantage of the services offered by the 18 Mobility Centres present in the country.

So at Bologna the Autonomy Programme is presenting its very latest automotive novelties, plus the numerous sporting events through which it aims to combat prejudice and preconceptions.

Stars of the Fiat 500 and Lancia New Musa exhibition area, new models which from the day of their launch have aroused the interest of the public and international press and on which a number of special devices have been fitted. Extraordinary success for the Fiat 500 which to date has won a raft of international titles such as “Car of the Year 2008”, “EuroCarBody 2007”, “Auto Europa 2008” and “Auto più bella del mondo 2008”. The model on display here is a Lounge version fitted with a 69 bhp 1.2 engine and Dualogic robotised transmission. This Fiat 500 has been fitted out by the Guidosimplex company with an electronic ring accelerator, a device that converts the pedal accelerator into a steering-wheel control, and the long-lever brake which converts pedal braking action into a manual control close to the steering-wheel. The outfit is completed by the electric wheelchair mounting system and special front seats: the driver’s seat rotates while the passenger’s moves on a wheeled base.

The New Musa, the Lancia that meets the expectations of a dynamic, young public interested in distinctive styling and practicality, but who also want environmental respect and performance, stands alongside the Fiat super-compact. A Platino version is on display at Bologna equipped with the sparkling 1.3 90 bhp Multijet combined with a DFN robotised sequential transmission (top speed 173 km/h and acceleration 0-100 km in 12.5 seconds).

Converted by the Kivi company, the vehicle is fitted with an electronic ring accelerator positioned below the steering-wheel, and a long lever brake. To make it easier to climb on board, the passenger seat rotates electrically while a robot with winch lifts and places the wheeled based inside the New Musa. Buyers of this car will certainly appreciate the electrically operated sliding door at the rear left, which makes it much easier for the winch to load a wheelchair into the vehicle behind the driver.

These and other special devices can be fitted on both the vehicles exhibited at Bologna, as indeed they can on all other models in the Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Lancia ranges. They are easy to install and adapt perfectly to the cabin without compromising ergonomics, roominess, comfort or safety. They also sit easily alongside the standard controls, so enabling people without motor problems to take over seamlessly at the wheel. And it is easy to remove the adaptive controls, so the car can be re-sold in either its converted state or as a standard model, a great advantage.