New AutoCars News: Fiat 500

Mopar is showcasing the customizing potential of the new Fiat 500 with a vehicle featuring a black micro carbon pack for side mirror covers, roof and dashboard, chrome bonnet line, tire valves caps with Fiat logo, black carpet mats, bi-color alloy wheel kit in matt grey and matt black, ivory 500 logo and Italian flag.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles parts, service and customer care division has designed more than 100 accessories for the new Fiat 500. The offer includes 14", 15" and 16 inch alloy wheels with different designs, colors and finishes, mirror caps either chrome-plated or painted in a variety of colors, side badges, chrome-plated molding on the roof and rear spoiler, as well as stickers for the sides and the roof.

Functional features are also offered, including a tailgate rack available with two systems for transporting winter sports equipment, like skis and snowboards. The range includes three dedicated Sport packs (Black, Red and White), consisting of a colored stripe along the belt of the car ending with a checkered pattern near the rear window, mirror caps in matching body color and two specific key covers.

Customers can choose other key cover kits, such as the sparkling "Swarovski" kit with 500 logo, the exclusive Corallo Red kit or the "Italy" kit with chevron pattern featuring the colors of the Italian flag. New customization kits will be available with original wrapping films for the roof and mirror domes, with five colors available: microcarbon black, matt silver, matt titanium, military green and jeans.

Finally, Mopar also offers original accessories including a coat hanger on the front head restraint, carpet mats, steel kick plate and sports kit which brings aluminum pedal covers and foot rest. Sales if the Mopar collection dedicated to the facelifted Fiat 500 will begin this autumn in Europe.

Fiat has decided not to mess with the exterior styling too much since the 500 is one of their best-sellers, having 3.8 million units sold since its original launch in 2007. Eight years since we first saw it, the hugely popular Fiat 500 receives its first, major facelift with the Italians calling it the "new 500".

Despite the limited aesthetic differences, Fiat claims 1,800 changes have been made to the 500. A set of new front headlight with incorporated Daytime LEDs now features a unique lighting signature while the rear LED clusters are also redesigned. A tweaked front grille and slightly redesigned front and rear bumpers complete the minimal exterior changes.

The changes are more significant in the cabin, with the new 500 now featuring an integrated 5-inch Uconnect infotainment system. The refreshed layout is complimented by more premium materials and new trim options according to Fiat. The more expensive models come with a digital seven-inch TFT instrument cluster. Fiat also says that they have added more soundproofing for extra refinement and comfort.

The entire engine line-up is now meeting with the upcoming Euro6 regulations. The petrol engine range consists of the 68hp 1.2-litre and the turbocharged two-cylinder 0.9-litre Twinair which is offered in 85hp and 105hp guises. The latter now returns less than 90g/km of CO2 in both power versions with Fiat claiming for the 85hp version a fuel economy figure of just 74.3mpg UK (3.8lt/100km).

The 1.3-litre Multijet engine is the only available diesel engine and produces 95hp and 89g/km of CO2. A new "Eco" version of the petrol 1.2 model is coming later, which will offer 99g/km of CO2 with the use of a more slippery body kit and low-resistance tires. Also updated is the Dualogic automatic transmission, a robotised version of the manual gearbox with Fiat adding shift paddles to the steering. The Italian company also claims improvements on the chassis, without specifying further details.