We wouldn’t have taken something like the Art Basel festival in Miami Beach as a typical showcase for automobiles, but after Tesla rolled out its art car and Maybach spearheaded its sculpture initiative there, Fiat became the third automaker to strut its stuff at the festival among the 2,000 artists from around the world.

Fiat’s display took place at the four-day Exhibitalia event, where several renowned artists and two student teams from the University of Miami used its tiny 500 as their “inspiration and canvas” in the creation of their works. Some created pieces inspired by the Cinquecento, some used body panels, and one even used the entire vehicle, transforming it into an art car on par with anything BMW could throw at it. Check it out in the gallery below and the press release after the jump.

The Fiat 500 Inspires Artists at Exhibitalia in Miami

December 3, 2010 , Miami – The new Fiat 500 serves as inspiration for artists participating in Exhibitalia, a four day live exhibition that features a selection of Italian art, design, fashion and culture and that takes place at the Art Basel in Miami. Renowned artists, as well as two student art teams from the University of Miami, use the new Fiat 500 as both inspiration and canvas. Christian Balzano takes his design inspiration to the entire body of the Fiat 500.

[Source:Autoblog]

As we said before, it’s that time when everyone starts rolling out their year-end “Best of” lists and revisits their favorite rides of 2010. Top Gear is in on the action, naming its annual award winners. Its list, as you can see, is diverse and loaded with forbidden fruit (at least for those of us in the U.S.)

Hypercar of the Year: Koenigsegg Agera
Cabrio of the Year: Maserati GranCabrio
Grand Tourer of the Year: Bentley Continental GT
Hot Hatch of the Year: Volkswagen Golf R
Family Car of the Year: BMW 520d Touring
Engine of the Year: Fiat TwinAir
Coupe of the Year: Peugot RCZ
Luxury Car of the Year: Jaguar XJ
Small Car of the Year and Car of the Year: Citroen DS3
Besides the standard categories, the three hosts also picked their favorites of 2010. Jeremy Clarkson is in love with the Pagani Zonda R, James May goes with the Bugatti Veyron Supersport and Richard Hammond is quite fond of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS.

Though we’ve given you the list, it’s still worth a trip over to the Top Gear website to read the reasons behind each choice.

[Source: AutoBlog]

There will soon be 200 stand-alone Fiat dealers primed to sell the diminutive 500, but Motor Village of Los Angeles will reportedly be the first. The corporate-owned dealership in LA will be the first store to sell the ultra-compact hatch when it re-opens in January of 2011. The dealership, which sells all Chrysler brands over three floors of space plus parking on the roof, will function as the test-bed for a myriad of different processes, displays, functions and furnishings.

Chrysler has owned the LA dealership for five years, but the addition of a separate Fiat saloon enabled a refresh that includes an employee cafeteria, play room for kids and a cafe for car shoppers. And soon enough, a bunch of shiny new 500 hatchbacks.

[Source: AutoBlog]

Next week’s Los Angeles Auto Show marks the official debut of the America-bound Fiat 500, and we’d be liars if we said we weren’t immensely excited for the pint-sized hatch’s arrival here on our shores.

Fiat has now posted on its Facebook page the three colors available for the first batch of 500s, called Prima Edizione, slated for consumption here in the United States. Rosso (red), Bianco (white) and Grigio (grey) will all be on hand for the first round of Fiat customers, and we’re eager to see the rest of the color choices that will come our way shortly thereafter.

All three colors are indeed flattering on the too-cute 500, though we’re rather partial to the deep hue of Rosso or the understated Grigio. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with the Bianco that we’ve come to love from afar all these years. See all three for yourself in the gallery, below.

[Source:Autoblog]

Reports of Abarth getting its own sports car have been surfacing pretty much since Fiat relaunched the brand. They seem to have intensified recently, with reports alternately suggesting that the Scorpion marque could partner with either Lotus or KTM on the development of a mid-engine roadster. The latest scuttlebutt, however, indicates that Abarth could go it alone on the new model.

The issue with KTM is reportedly that its carbon-fiber X-Bow, upon which the Abarth roadster could be based, is too expensive for the low price point Fiat seeks. The hesitance to work with Lotus, however, may be more personal. Lotus CEO Danny Bahar defected there from Ferrari, and took a number of personnel from both Maranello and Maserati with him.

As a result, Abarth could build a Lotus Elise rival from the ground up, powered by the latest-generation MultiAir engine mated to the company’s new dual-clutch gearbox. Such a move would, however, seem at odds with Sergio Marchionne’s push to integrate products and platforms across Fiat and Chrysler brands. But if a mid-engine Dodge roadster came out of it as well, you wouldn’t find us complaining.

[Source:Autoblog]

Rumor has it that Fiat is looking to push the Chrysler 200 into a handful of markets around the globe. According to Automotive News, the Italian automaker has its sight set on reworking the car into Lancia and introducing it in mainland Europe. At the same time, the standard Chrysler 200 may debut in the UK and Ireland. Interestingly enough, Fiat isn’t mulling the move because it thinks that the 200 can go head to head with the rest of the small car. Instead, the company is hoping to bolster its fleet sales in various European markets.

That’s not to say that the deal is set in stone at this point. The Chrysler 200 has a major chink in its armor when it comes to doing battle in Europe – it doesn’t come with a diesel option. With only two gasoline engine options, Fiat would have to source its own oil-burning powerplant to make the ploy work. Throw in the fact that the car is set to be replaced in three years and the likelihood of seeing the 200 in Europe is slimmer yet. Still, the company says that it’s currently looking at the numbers to see if there’s a solid business case for the move.

[Source:Autoblog]

Top down or ground up? If you’re going to launch an over-the-top design statement, you’d better to both. So, hot on the tails of the Diva edition Rolls-Royce Ghost, Fenice Milano has released a similar treatment for the far more humble Fiat 500C called La Dolce Vita.

Like the Diva, the Dolce Vita is dominated by more gold trim than one might expect to see in an entire Mansory showroom. 24 karat, no less. Fenice has also tweaked the titchy Cinquicento’s mechanical bits with an ECU reflash, new intake and exhaust systems and some suspension tweaks, the latter presumably to compensate for the extra weight of all that bling. Inside, the open-air cabin has been redone in teak, gold and leather, with a redesigned dashboard incorporating a rather Mini-like oversized central gauge. Details in the press release after the jump, high-res photos in the gallery below.

‘LA DOLCE VITA’ FENICE MILANO: A TOY OF EXCLUSIVITY AND STYLE

For the nostalgic of the Italian vintage style of the 60s, the new Fiat 500C represents the modern heir of the internationally renowned Italian automotive industry’s symbol.

Born to homage the convertible model of the 500 launched in 1957, the 500C is proposed by Fiat with avant‐garde solutions in the mechanics, power train and comfort on board. But for those who aren’t satisfied by the standard versions and want to add exclusivity to the original retro style charm, Fenice Milano presents two new versions whose precious finishing and technical improvements give life to a true jewel of the Made in Italy style and manufacture.

‘La Dolce Vita’, this is the name of the model by Fenice Milano that used the convertible 1.4 petrol 101 HP automatic version as base of the famous city car. Blinking at the golden age of the Italian cinema and lifestyle, that attracted many international stars and jet‐setters, ‘La Dolce Vita’ represents the flagship of Fenice Milano’s production.

Thanks to its small size (355cm length, 165cm large and 149cm height), this small jewel is ideal for those who want to move comfortably in the city without giving up luxury and exclusivity. Embellished by many inserts in precious materials, like 24K gold, and fine woods like teak entirely manufactured by Fenice Milano artisans, in ‘La Dolce Vita’ model the ECU upgrade, the suspensions adjustment and the optimization of the exhaust and suction system guarantee better performances and more comfort onboard.

‘La Dolce Vita’ is available in two colours expressly studied and realized for Fenice Milano that help exalting its uniqueness. The Sportiva version is proposed in a multi‐layer chromium Deep Red, realized by overlapping ten different layers of varnishing that realize the particular semichrome effect. For the fans of a sober and refined style, instead, the Classica version has been created in a white golden pearlescent varnishing. A limited edition whose varnish includes small particles of 24K gold. For both versions the seats, redesigned following ergonomic principles, and the internal elements are in pure leather and in Alcantara Natural colour with handmade exposed seams.

Moreover, in the passenger compartment of ‘La Dolce Vita’ the console has been entirely redesigned, moving the instrument board in a central position and embellishing it with a golden frame, while the dashboard is in teak with 24K gold inserts whose profiles are hand shaped by the Fenice Milano’s artisans. The wheel, redesigned starting from the original one, has the external crown in teak and the internal one in leather with commands in 24K gold, and also in the footboard the original carpeting has been substituted with teak.

The general enhancements of interiors and exteriors include in detail:
• front and rear fender molding in 24K gold
• side pillars in 24K gold
• decorations and logos in 24K gold
• sill mouldings in 24K gold
• headlights in 24K gold and custom rear lights
• exterior mirrors in 24K gold
• door handles in 24K gold
• 17” custom wheels in 24K gold
• exhaust pipe terminal in 24K gold
• electrical convertible top with gold finishes

[Source:Autoblog]