It started with a kiss...
It started with a kiss and ended with a crash... but not mine! The kiss was the "X" from the new Jaguar XK and the crash came courtesy of an over-reactive Aston Martin DBS, which pitched poor James Bond 007 into a massive barrel roll. What am I talking about? My year of course. "Tis the festive season with plenty of time to reminisce - and then look forward to what might be. But nothing could have been better than heading down to South Africa in January to try out Jag"s smooth new cat - which would, of course, go on to become Auto Express"s Car of the Year.
Our spy photographers...
Our spy photographers caught the baby Fiat testing in Italy, and the firm has clearly kept its word, because it retains the cute profile and compact dimensions of the 2005 Trepiuno concept. It debuted at last year’s Geneva Motor Show, and was inspired by Fiat’s legendary Nuova 500, which was a hit worldwide between 1957 and 1975.
Initially, bosses stalled the project, but it got the green light for production in October 2004, and work is now clearly well advanced. Better still, the cheeky looks of the show car are destined to reach production virtually unchanged. Retro door handles look set to feature, along with sleek Grande Punto-style door mirrors. More expensive versions are expected to be offered with glass roof panels and upmarket leather upholstery.
Owners will also be able to personalise their 500 with a massive range of accessories, in a similar way to the fashionable MINI line-up.
The production version of the front-engined city car will be a cosy four-seater, and is comfortably smaller than the current crop of oversized superminis. However, it will come with a similarly tiny price tag when it finally hits dealers next autumn. Entry-level models will echo the original Fiat 500 by offering great value for money, and will cost from only ?5,000 – making it one of the cheapest cars in Britain.
Enthusiasts can follow the new Fiat’s launch at a specially created website (www.fiat500.com), which includes a countdown to the car’s arrival – there are only 473 days left to wait. What’s more, the pictures are also good news for Ford, because the next-generation Ka will share its underpinnings with the new 500. The current blue oval model is long overdue for replacement, as it was first introduced back in 1996.