The New Fiat 500 Convertible

Fiat celebrates the launch of the New Fiat 500 Convertible this spring and from looking at it you can see how these charming little cars could easily be the next fashion accessory for the summer. The new funky Fiat 500 Convertible with its retro styling car work is exactly the same size as the basic Fiat 500 model with room for four people, half decent boot space and a sensible price tag.


The Fiat 500 is a small economy-car produced by the Fiat company of Italy between 1957 and 1975 and when re-launched in 2007. The Fiat 500 became an icon of the times. The car was a successor to the Topolino model interestingly Topolino means ’mouse’, small, cute and great for scampering around in. No great surprise then that the Launch of the New Fiat 500 Cabriolet is creating such a stir when you consider a car with this persona that has now been given a fully fledged window to the sky. No doubt it has set its sights on becoming an icon of the times again.

The New Fiat convertible has a rollback roof, which is similar in concept to that used by the classic Citroen 2CV and adds to the retro feel of the car, giving it its loud personality. Despite the rather simple targa setup, the Fiat 500 convertibles roof is also likely to be available with a power operated folding roof, so no mad scrambling to get the roof off and the wind blowing through your hair – Hold on to your hat!


To keep the folding system simple, the roof stacks on top of the rear parcel shelf, rather than slotting into a storage bin. That allows Fiat to retain the lower part of the existing hatch pressing and to hinge it from the parcel shelf.


By keeping the majority of the car’s body structure intact, engineers have avoided the need for costly chassis changes, and ensured that it will remains rigid and just as fun as the fixed roof version to drive. The novel ‘sardine-tin’ roof will also distance it from its main competitor the Mini cabriolet.


Power for the Fiat 500 convertible will be provided by either a 70 horsepower 1.2L or a 100 horsepower 1.4L. A more powerful Abarth edition is expected, although there are no current plans to offer the Fiat 500 convertible with a diesel power plant. All Fiat 500 convertible powerplants will come equipped with start-stop technology, a device controlling momentary engine shutdown and subsequent reignition. To this end, at every stop when shifting to neutral and releasing the clutch, the engine is switched off and then restarted simply by selecting a gear. The start-stop technology should improve overall fuel economy by about 8 percent.


The New Fiat 500 Convertible is available in three colours (ivory, red and black), this original soft top will be matched with several bodywork colour schemes, two of which have been conceived specifically for the new car, i.e. a brilliant Pearl Red and a special Warm Grey typical of sports supercars.


The new Fiat 500 represents outstanding value for money and positions the car well below its benchmark rivals. All told, its many special features make this new car one of the best turned out cabriolet models currently on offer in the city-car segment.


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