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Fiat has
teamed up with famous Italian fashion label, DIESEL, to
create a specially outfitted version of the Fiat 500
that seeks to subtly combine the worlds of motoring and fashion
in a unique new urban vehicle that will be produced in a
production run of 10,000 units spread over the next two years.
The Fiat 500 by DIESEL will be commercialised from
tomorrow (22nd September).
The Fiat 500
by DIESEL is borne out of a styling collaboration between a
design team from Fiat Centro Style, led by
Roberto Giolito, the author of the Fiat 500, and DIESEL,
led by its
designer Lars Schwartz. The fundamental aim of the
project was to create an "Urban Survival Vehicle", a car
that is both agile in the city traffic, but at the same
time conveys a sense of
style than makes it appealing to trend-conscious young
people.
Based on the
Fiat 500's 'Sport' version, the 500 by DIESEL will be
available in three body colours, "DIESEL Green", the
shade of colour used on Renzo Rosso's personal helicopter,
as well as black, and the
familiar "DIESEL Brown". It will be available with three
Euro 5 compliant engine options: 1.2-litre
(69 CV), 1.3-litre Multijet (75 CV) with
anti-particulate filter, and the 1.4-litre 16v (100 CV),
all coupled to the roboticised Dualogic gearbox. The car
sits astride distinctive
16-inch, twin 5-spoke alloy wheels fitted with DIESEL
logos in the hub caps and that reveal yellow-painted brake calipers
(on the
100 bhp 1.4-litre version), while its new external
styling makeover is completed by three mesh-effect vents
on the B-pillar, together with the DIESEL name embossed
below,
as well as new pattern chrome trims along the bumpers
and doors, and a similar chrome treatment to the door
mirror shells.
Inside, the
500 by DIESEL features new woven pattern denim seat coverings
with yellow stitching as well as new detailing on the
instrument bezels and an alloy gearknob that features
the DIESEL logo. New sill kick plates bear DIESEL's
slogan "FOR SUCCESSFUL LIVING". Pricing will be 15,000 euros for the
1.2-litre 69 CV, and 17,000 euros for the versions
fitted with the
1.3-litre Multijet 75 CV with DPF and the 1.4 16v 100 CV.
Beginning as
a company focused on making quality clothing, DIESEL has
become part of the youth culture worldwide. DIESEL is an
innovative international design company, producing a
wide-ranging collection of jeans, clothing and
accessories. DIESEL is a leader in pioneering new
styles, fabrics, manufacturing methods and quality
control to guarantee an outstanding product. The company
is present in over eighty countries with over 5,000 points
of sale and more than 300 monobrand stores (200 of which
are company-owned and the rest in partnership with local
distributors).
When Renzo Rosso founded the company in 1978, he
wanted it to be a leader, a company that took chances
and carved out a niche for itself in its field. He
surrounded himself with creative, talented people -
innovators who, like him, rejected the slavish trend
following typical of the fashion industry. He wanted to
create the most dynamic and imaginative product
available anywhere: he gave his open-minded design team
broad stylistic freedom, and their mission was to create
an apparel line perfect for independent people who
follow their own unique path in life and for those
style-makers who express their individuality by the way
they dress.
From the very beginning, DIESEL's design team, headed by
Creative Director Wilbert Das, turned their backs on the
style-dictators and consumer forecasters of the fashion
establishment and let their own personal tastes lead
them. The company views the world as a single,
border-less macro-culture, and the DIESEL staff reflects
this: a cosmopolitan team that creates an unpredictable,
dynamic vitality and energy within the company. DIESEL
''people'' and their working methods are so
unconventional, albeit productive, that they have been
profiled in countless media, and have been studied by
international consulting organisations and universities.
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