02.02.2012 FIAT PREVIEWS THE GENEVA BOUND 500L

FIAT 500L

FIAT 500L

Fiat has presented the first official images of the ‘500L’, the replacement for the aged Idea mini-MPV, which will have its world preview at the Geneva Motor Show on March 6.
 
The five-seater 500L – the L stands for ‘Large’ – is the first car to be based on Fiat’s new ‘Small US Wide’ platform, a widened version of the existing Punto’s architecture. It is 414cm long and 178cm wide – values which represent an increase of 21cm and 8cm respectively on the Idea’s measurements. Height remains the same as the Idea’s, at 166cm. A lengthened version with seven seats is expected to follow later.
 
Aesthetically, the 500L – styled in-house – attempts to carry over many of the 500 hatchback’s styling cues, especially its frontal aspect, into a more practical five-door offering. Moving beyond the niche variants of the Cabrio and Abarth, the 500L is the first serious attempt to leverage the 500 ‘brand’, in a similar manner to that of MINI under BMW, or Land Rover’s Range Rover nameplate. Fiat themselves describe the 500L as “the new addition to the 500 range”, with the aim of “introducing models in a position to satisfy different types of customers.” However, while it incorporates styling cues from other Fiat models, notably the Brazilian Uno and new Panda, it also draws heavily from competitor models such as MINI’s Countryman and the Citroën C3 Picasso. Notable styling features include the large plastic door rubbing strips rapidly becoming de rigeur on Fiat’s latest models, and blacked-out screen pillars, which give the impression of a ‘floating’ roof. Also noteworthy is the front quarterlight and ‘twin’ A-pillar, which borrows from the arrangement used on the Sedici.
 
While the 500L replaces the slow-selling Idea in Europe, it will play an equally important role in the US market, where it will be charged with turning around the Fiat brand’s fortunes, which have fallen woefully short of expectations. Fiat management is hoping that the car, which will be pitched as a ‘more practical’ but equally stylish alternative to the baby 500 subcompact, will provide a much-needed shot in the arm for the legion of dealers who have struggled to pitch the 500 as anything more than a niche boutique product.
 
Fiat’s marketing literature highlights the driving characteristics of a “small SUV”, combined with “MPV passenger space” and “the restrained dimensions and efficiency of a B-segment car”. Engine choice includes the 0.9-litre TwinAir and 1.4-litre FIRE MultiAir petrols, as well as the 1.3 16V MultiJet II turbodiesel. As well as the Countryman and C3 Picasso, its competitors will include Opel’s popular Meriva, and Ford’s new Fiesta-based B-Max, also unveiled today, which boasts a pillarless sliding-door arrangement.
 
The 500L will be produced at the refitted Fiat factory in Kragujevac, Serbia. It will go on sale in Europe in the last quarter of this year, before being exported to the US in 2013.

 

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