After the phenomenal success of the Volkswagen Beetle and a rather drab performance by the FIAT 500 in the India market, FIAT has now decided to relaunch the Cinquecento (better known as the 500) with better specifications and options. Currently the car is available in India with the highly practical 1.3-litre Multijet diesel engine and sells at at ex-showroom price in the range Rs. 14-lakh. In the 500’s second innings though, there would be an optional TwinAir petrol engine variant as well. FIAT recently launched the new engine in the FIAT 500. The TwinAir engine is a 2-cylinder 900cc engine that produces 75 horses. The current diesel mill and the new TwinAir engine will also be joined by new customisation options for the interior trim, creature comforts etc. which should help the FIAT 500 do a better job in its second innings.
“Retro cars with distinctive looks are a big hit and that’s what we would capture in our new campaign to be rolled out in a few months,” said Fiat Auto India CEO Rajeev Kapoor. While the 500 has only sold 68 units in India since its launch in 2008, the Volkswagen Beetle has sold over 300 units in less than one year! So is the Beetle really that good? You should have your answer soon as we bring you a road test review of the Volkswagen Beetle in a couple of days…