July 4 marks the 54th anniversary of the launch of the Nuova Fiat 500. It will also mark the launch of the Fiat 500's national ad campaign in the US. Now that a critical mass of Fiat dealerships (called Studios) have opened, beginning the campaign makes sense. Currently, there are 70 Fiat Studios opened across the nation, most in what Fiat considers its main market areas.
Fiat Head, Laura Soave, said last week at a media event, “We’re confident we can do a national launch and have the network in place to support the traffic."
Timeline
Pre-production versions of the Fiat 500 were first unveiled to the US public at the Los Angeles Auto Show last November, with the car having its official debut in February at the Chicago Auto Show.
In November, 130 Fiat Studios were selected. Since then, Fiat Studios have been opening up slowly, but steadily. The original plan was to have most of the Studios opened by March 1 with a national marketing campaign penciled in to begin during March/April. However, delays resulted in having only 30 or so Fiat Studios opened by March 11, the day the first Fiat 500 Prima Edizione was delivered in the US.
Chrysler CEO, Sergio Marchionne attributed the delay to the company underestimating the time needed for dealers to get building plans approved by local zoning authorities.
Another contributing factor was the high standards each Fiat Studio is designed and built to. Soave said it was more important to get facilities right than to rush ahead with half-baked plans. She said: "One of the things we're committed to is the network, that the first impression is perfect."
When you see what a Fiat Studio looks like, you'll see what she means.
The remaining 60 Fiat Studios are expected to be open by the end of the year.
July 4 Events
The modern Fiat 500 made its debut on July 4, 2007, exactly 50 years after the Nuova Fiat 500 was introduced. To celebrate the new car, a lavish ceremony that 250.000 people attended was held in Torino, Italy. You can view the ceremony here.
Each year since, birthday events for the 500 are held throughout the world. This year will be the first time an event will be held in the US. So far, everything is still under wraps, but expect it be creative, exciting and fun.
While we are waiting, here is a link to previous Fiat 500 Birthday events.
Sources: Internet, Fiat Group Press, Chrysler Media
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