Fiat 500

The new car's styling harks back to the original of over 70 years ago, but it employs modern technology and shares a platform with the forthcoming Ford Ka replacement.

If ever automotive design and technology were given a high profile it was in Turin the night that the new, retro-style Fiat 500 was launched. An extraordinary carnival atmosphere saw 200,000 people jamming streets closed to traffic, a near two-hour presentation to thousands of invited guests accommodated in grandstands on the banks of the River Po, a spectacular midnight firework display, the arrival in town of 1000 journalists from across the world, and the attendance of Italian Premier Romano Prodi together with eight Cabinet ministers.

It could not happen anywhere else in the world but Turin, Italy's motown, and a place centered on the commercial and industrial health of Fiat. That health looked distinctly rocky as the 21st century dawned, but now, with new products and a new business philosophy, the company is moving convincingly back to fitness.