Geneva Motor Show: Fiat To Showcase 500L. Releases Video Today

Remember we reported in detail about the MPV based on Fiat 500-the 500L? Now, we update our readers that the Italian carmaker has unveiled a video the MPV based on the cutesy car. The car will be introduced to the world at the Geneva Motor Show tomorrow. As we told, the L in 500L represents ‘Large’ and that alone speaks of Fiat’s intention of capturing a larger market by introducing a more spacious version of the 500.

The car measures 4140mm in length, 1780mm in width and is 1660mm high and the L is 594mm longer, 153mm wider and 172mm taller than the standard Fiat 500 hatchback. In words of the marketing guys at Fiat, the new 500 offers ‘MPV passenger space combined with the feel of a small SUV on the road.’Here is our take on the ‘Multipa-ish’ styled car:

One look at this car is not really enough for a lay man to associate it with the popular Italian brand. While it does look like it is a Fiat, it does not really look like a Fiat 500. The front and rear of the car are quite similar to the current 500 but the similarity seems to end there.The front fascia has a very distinctive chrome garnish holding the Fiat badge in the center. The headlights are larger than the standard 500 and the front surfaces are negative. The wheel arches are boxed in and they sway away from the standard car’s curves. The frontal shut lines are still the same but the door shut lines are different. The side is emphasized with a large body side moulding that holds a chrome rubbing strip in it.  The green house area looks very different with a flat top and gels with the rear that holds wrap-around rear windshield. The tail lamps are distinctive and have a softer rectangular form with different levels of glass. The tail lamps are emphasized by brushed chrome finished border pieces. The fiat badge stays in the center and the lower bumper has a matte black strip running across it.Carrying an iconic name and staying true to it is not always easy. This car, although it is well designed and follows Fiat’s design philosophy, it just does not create much of the feeling of nostalgia. Design is not always about sharp lines and fancy lights, it is a feeling and a meaning that is conveyed through lines and surfaces.This ‘Multipla-ish’ MPV could make it to India, albeit, in a stripped down avatar. What with every other manufacturer jumping into the mini-SUV/MPV bandwagon. Bring it on Fiat and while at it, get us the tasty Abarth version too. Please, pretty please!

 

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