Initially, design is what will sell the 500. Given that this year's production had sold out before August, it's safe to assume that Fiat has got this right, or rather that Fiat chief engineer Dante Giacosa did 50 years ago. The proportions of the original have been replicated here, which is an achievement in itself, given that the original was a two-seater with an air-cooled engine in the back, and this is a four-seater with a water-cooled engine, mounted more conventionally in the front.
The new 500 has been developed from the same platform as the Panda. It rolls down the same production line as the Panda in Poland, a line that will also be shared by Ford's next-generation Ka, also being developed on the smallest Fiat platform.
The 500's engines and transmissions are mechanically the same as those offered in the Panda, but generally tuned for a spot of extra urge. There's a 1.2-litre 8v unit with 68bhp (to the Panda's 59), a 1.3-litre Multijet diesel (with 74 rather than 69bhp) and, as tested here, a 99bhp 1.4-litre petrol unit, found in precisely the same tune as in the Panda 100HP. It's mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, but automatic versions of both petrol engines will be available.