The Fiat 500L has been launched in Malta. Addressing journalists prior to a test drive round some of Malta’s busiest and also, some of the most scenic roads, UCIM Co Ltd managing director Francesca Mamo explained how the 500L combines the iconic nature of the 500 style with traditional Fiat design functionality.
“The most important fact that we need to understand is that the 500 Large is not simply a larger version of the now very popular cinquecento but a larger version of the concept behind this very successful brand. Therefore, the 500L is larger but the fun and the iconic imagery so synonymous with the original cinquecento are being brought forward and guaranteed with this new 500L,” said Ms Mamo.
Ms Mamo added the ‘City Lounge’, as the car has been dubbed, is the result of a very special alchemy. “It is a new city car concept that redefines the compact category for the modern family in an emotional vein by expanding on a few styling features of the 500 in unprecedented forms.”
She added: “The 500L is a trans-segment car that can satisfy a large clientele with different inclinations, age and daily use needs of their cars. For instance, the functional features of the Fiat City Lounge appeal to the adult families, or empty nesters, who are most traditional customers of the higher segment models because they want functional, roomy and comfortable cars.
“Similarly, the smiley, fun-loving look of the 500L appeals to a clientele which is much younger that the segment average, who like its sophisticated but easily accessible technological solutions and its contents which provide practical answers to the needs of daily mobility and rising environmental awareness. Incidentally, Fiat is the brand with the lowest average CO2 emissions of cars sold in Europe – only 118.2 g/km – for the fifth year running.”
The model is reasserting its position as the first car for many families, and often the only car of choice of young families because it combines a number of apparently irreconcilable features all in one: the compact exterior size of a B segment car with the ample passenger room and the full equipment typical of a C segment model. All this comes at an accessible city-car price and with added-value you cannot find elsewhere: the distinctive personality of Fiat 500, the Italian design icon.