Fiat 500 on 2040-cars

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Godzilla stops off for a little Italian in new Fiat ad

Fiat is really trying to push its five-door 500L, which has gotten off to a rather disappointing first year of sales. The Italian brand's first big-name effort involved rapper P. Diddy and a pair of very unfortunate desert pedestrians. Now, it's gone even bigger (quite literally), teaming up with everyone's favorite, city destroying, radiation-breathing green lizard monster - Godzilla.
Yes, the Japanese monster icon is getting rebooted in a new film starring Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston, as well as Ken Watanabe and Elizabeth Olsen. With the iconic kaiju hitting US theaters on May 16, the release of the Fiat/Godzilla ad is well timed.
In the ad, Godzilla is doing what he does best, all while devouring standard-sized 500s in the same way that you or I might eat a few grapes. This is working out quite nicely, until the big lizard bites off more than he can chew with the 500L.

Fiat 500X Pop gets Sport Appearance Package

At last November's L.A. Auto Show, Fiat debuted a new trim for the 500X compact crossover, the 500X Sport. Attempting to add a "youthful, sporty appearance" to the 500X lineup, the Sport model included the new Rovente Red color, shed the dark molding and cladding on other trims, and adopted new exterior elements like fog lights and dual chrome-finished tailpipes. The model hasn't made it to the Fiat USA site yet, but Mopar Insiders says there is more sportiness on the way for the 500X. The base Pop trim will get a Sport Appearance Package to inject some exterior pizzazz at for thousands less than the price of the Sport model. The package add the front and rear fascias from the Sport model, front fog lights, body-colored wheel arch moldings and side sills, 18-inch aluminum sport wheels, dark gray accents throughout, and "dual bright exhaust tips." As far as we can tell, the Pop with the Sport Appearance Package differs outside from the proper Sport trim by retaining the halogen projector headlights, fitting darker fog light housings, and being limited to 18-inch wheels. The standard Pop only comes with 17-inch wheels, the standard Sport trim with an 18-inch wheel but it offers an optional 19-inch wheel wrapped in Michelin rubber. Also, major options on the Pop don't change, meaning it won't offer the choice of a black roof as on the Sport trim. The Sport trim makes a host of changes to the inside, too, which the Sport Appearance Package doesn't. Buyers can order the jaunty overhaul for the Pop in four colors: Bianco White, Grigio Moda, Italia Blue, and Rovente Red. The Sport Appearance Package will cost $795, meaning one could get out for $27,030 after destination but before taxes and fees. The Sport trim was announced with an MSRP of $29,390, making it the second-most-expensive 500X in the range, above the $27,740 Trekking, below the $30,990 Trekking Plus. The Sport Appearance Package has not appeared on the Fiat USA configurator yet, but it shouldn't be far off.  Update: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the Sport trim was not on the Fiat USA configurator. Only the Sport Appearance Package hasn't appeared yet. The mistake has been corrected. Related Video:    

Fiat's Centoventi Concept previews an electric Panda city car

The Fiat Panda is about to be born again. Fiat has presented the Centoventi EV concept at the Geneva Motor Show, and it bears the look of a future Panda redesign. Going with "ABC," as Fiat says, "Affordable but Cool," the Centoventi stands for Fiat's 120th anniversary. It kicks Fiat's long-awaited EV transformation into motion, building on the time-honored basic mobility aesthetics that have served Fiat so well in earlier years. The design of the Centoventi is similar to the utilitarian, super-basic look that the 1980 Panda rode on when it was revealed, blending that into the small five-door hatchback dimensions of more recent Pandas. There are numerous styling cues dating back to the original "141" Panda — the enormous, unpainted, city-suitable boxed arches are covered in a similar subtle ribbing as the 1980 Panda's lower body. The bumper lights are squares similar to the Panda's headlights, and the Italian flag stripe on the front is offset just like the grille on the Panda. The dashboard is another throwback to 1980: the classic, super-simple Panda instrument cluster has been rethought for 2020 with full digitalization and smartphone connectivity, but it still retains the same shape. And there are open-roof options, just like with the classic Panda. The Centoventi has suicide doors with no B pillar. We would expect the eventual production version to do away with this for crashworthiness reasons, but in the interests of showing off the modular, sneaker-like interior, it probably serves the concept well. Only Fiat can compare the car's interior to a Crocs shoe and successfully pull it off. And the customizable sneaker attitude encompasses the entire car: The idea is that the car is just a "blank canvas," produced in just one version and color, and the customer can choose the colors and style of the roof, the bumpers, the hubcaps and additional wraps, fitted by the dealer. The roof options comprise a polycarbonate top, an opening canvas one, a roof with an integrated cargo box or one with a solar panel setup generating power to cool the car's cabin. The battery packs continue with the modular theme. The basic battery of the EV is good for 62 miles, but those can be multiplied, with a servicing garage adding more batteries for a maximum range of 310 miles. One add-on battery fits under a seat, and it can be charged at home, in the style of an electric bike.