Fiat 500 (modern) History
Catalog record
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History
Unveiled on July 4, 2007 — exactly 50 years after the Nuova 500 — the modern Fiat 500 was a deliberate retro revival in the vein of the Volkswagen New Beetle and BMW MINI. Built on a shortened Fiat Panda platform and produced in Tychy, Poland, it interpreted the 1957 car's rounded nose, oval headlights, and compact proportions in a contemporary front-engine, front-wheel-drive package. It won the 2008 European Car of the Year award.
The 500 returned Fiat to the US market in 2012 — its first new American presence since withdrawing in the early 1980s — following the merger with Chrysler. US sales peaked at around 44,000 in 2012 but fell sharply as American buyers shifted to crossovers; Fiat discontinued the 500 hatchback for the US market after the 2019 model year.
In Europe the 500 remained on sale in hatchback and cabriolet (500C) forms. An Abarth 500 performance line became a global sub-brand in its own right. A purpose-built electric successor — the Fiat 500e — was launched in Europe in 2020 and returned to the US in 2024.
Generations
First generation · 312
The long-running retro city car; 500C cabriolet added 2009; Abarth 500 line from 2008; US run 2012–2019 MY.
Body styles
- 3-door hatchback
- Convertible (500C)
Notable special editions & performance variants
Abarth 500 / 595 / 695
The turbocharged Abarth performance line — from the 135-hp Abarth 500 to the track-focused 695 Biposto; a modern echo of the classic Abarth 695.
500 TwinAir
A two-cylinder turbocharged engine (85 hp) offering fuel efficiency and novelty in the 500's small engine bay; sold in Europe.
Related models
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