Fiat 500

Fiat 500, 2012 car review

The new 2012 Fiat 500 is cute, fun to drive and fuel thrifty. Many young drivers interested in the 500 may never have heard of Fiat’s reputation for selling troublesome cars here decades ago. But then, Italy’s Fiat wasn’t the only troublesome foreign car, and it’s a whole new auto world now. The 500 is built with modern equipment that didn’t exist in Fiat’s spotty old days. when some joked “Fiat” stood for “Fix it again, Tony.” The 500 is hardly unproven. Chrysler-controlled Fiat says more than 500,000 Fiat 500s have been sold in 80 countries since 2007. The 500 resembles Italy’s revered Cinquecento (500 in Italian), which arrived about a half century ago. Almost four million Cinquecentos were made

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Chrysler will introduce electric version of iconic Fiat 500

The zero-emission 500EV will be powered by new-generation lithium-ion batteries being developed in Michigan. A prototype was unveiled at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. Nissan’s Leaf all-electric car, also powered by lithium-ion batteries, will also debut in the U.S. from manufacturing facilities in Japan and Tennessee. For additional information, visit: Chrysler James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida. An author

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