After receiving the 2008 Car Of The Year award, the Fiat 500 receives yet another award from the Italian Union of Automotive Journalists (Uiga) - the Auto Europa 2008.
The Auto Europa prize was established in 1987 and is awarded to a car built and sold in Europe that offers the best combination of technology, pricing and style. Some of the previous Fiat Group winners are : Alfa Romeo 156 (1998), Alfa Romeo 166 (1999), Fiat Panda (2004).
Fiat Press Release:
The Fiat 500 elected ''Auto Europa 2008''
The Fiat has been voted "Auto Europa 2008" by the
Italian Union of Automotive Journalists (Uiga). This is the most important accolade awarded by the Italian specialised press.
Established in 1987, the prize is awarded to the car built and sold in Europe that offers the best combination of technology, pricing and style for the final consumer. The vote, which took place last weekend in Riccione, attributed 640 points to the new super-compact from Fiat, placing it ahead of the Kia Ceèd (408) and the Peugeot 308 (325).
The official prize-giving ceremony will be held next Spring during the annual Uiga meeting. This is the tenth car from Fiat Group Automobiles to receive the title of “Auto Europa”. Previous winners have been the Alfa 164 (1988), Fiat Tipo (1989), Fiat Cinquecento (1993), Fiat Punto (1995), Fiat Bravo/Brava (1996), Alfa Romeo 156 (1998), Alfa Romeo 166 (1999), Fiat Panda (2004) and the Fiat Grande Punto (2007).
This award adds to the already impressive array of prizes under the Fiat 500’s belt, namely: "Car of the Year 2008", “EuroCarBody 2007” and “World’s Most Beautiful Car”.
The COTY award was secured with a total of 385 points attributed by a panel of 58 specialist journalists representing 22 European countries. This is only the second time that an A-segment model has won this award – the first being the Fiat Panda in 2004. The title of “EuroCarBody 2007”, the most important prize worldwide for car bodies, is attributed by a total of approximately 600 specialists from 15 international carmakers, all of them experts in bodywork engineering, materials, processes and production. Lastly, the “World’s most Beautiful Car” award was given to the Fiat 500 by an international panel of design and visual arts experts. With the maximum score
possible of 18 points, the Fiat 500 won the “City cars and small cars” category for expressing “a return to the sculptural values of the golden age of car design”. The same prize was also awarded to the Fiat Bravo, in the “medium saloon” category.
These prestigious accolades for the Fiat 500 join two other important prizes recently awarded by the international press to the Fiat Grande Punto and Scudo. Just a few months after its Latin American launch, the Grande Punto was voted “Auto Interamericana 2008” by the Interamerican Federation of Automotive Periodicals (FIPA), consisting of 63 journalists from 19 American nations, including Brazil and the US. Similarly, the Scudo has also been enjoying an extraordinary
success, and has been voted “International Van of the Year 2008” – with 108 out of a possible 140 points – by a panel of journalists from 20 European nations specialised in light commercial vehicles.
Fiat 500 Video:
