Fiat fashions another 500 special edition

FIAT Australia has added another special to its 500 line-up in the form of the Collezione Fall/Winter Edition, with the fashion-focused micro car available in hatch and convertible body styles from $21,990 plus on-road costs.

In the past 11 years alone, Fiat and its performance sub-brand Abarth have released more than 30 special editions.

The Collezione Fall/Winter Edition is the latest in this line, with it based on 500’s Lounge full-time flagship grade. According to Fiat Australia, the former represents $2900 of additional value over the latter but only commands a $2000 premium.

Limited to just 30 examples Down Under – split evenly between its two body styles – the Collezione Fall/Winter Edition range opens with the three-door hatch and closes with the two-door convertible at $25,990.

A five-speed manual driving the front wheels is standard but can be substituted for a five-speed DuaLogic automated manual for $1500.

The Collezione Fall/Winter Edition’s headline feature is its two-tone Bordeaux and Grey Solid exterior paintwork, which is complemented by 16-inch alloy wheels with a copper finish and a black ring, and copper trim that bisects the body.

It also picks up front foglights, chrome bonnet trim and bumper inserts, body-colour side-mirror covers and a ‘Collezione’ tailgate badge. Convertible variants exclusively gain a grey soft top.

Inside, a grey dashboard, copper trim and floor mats with an embroidered Bordeaux ‘Collezione’ logo are found, while the seats get striped inserts, piping and ‘500’ branding.

All of this is in addition to the Lounge’s standard equipment, which includes a 7.0-inch touchscreen Uconnect infotainment system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, climate control, rear parking sensors and cruise control.

Just like the Lounge, the Collezione Fall/Winter Edition is motivated by a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 51kW of power at 5500rpm and 102Nm of torque at 3000rpm.

“We’re excited to bring a confident, sophisticated variant to the iconic Fiat 500 product line-up with the launch of the designer-centric Collezione Fall/Winter Special Edition, aligning with the Fiat 500’s positioning of being one of the very few fashionable vehicles available in Australia,” said Fiat Australia director of brand and product strategy Guillaume Drelon.

“Exuding a distinguished sense of style, the Fiat 500 Collezione Fall/Winter Edition is sure to turn heads; the moody colour palette adorned with pops of copper and offering substantial additional value to customers.”

Sales of 500 have been steady this year, with 426 examples sold to the end of June – a 4.4 per cent increase over the 408 deliveries made during the same period in 2018.

As a result, 500 is now the second best-selling model in the dwindling micro-car segment, trailing the Kia Picanto (3098 units) but ahead of its only other rival, the Mitsubishi Mirage (329).

2019 Fiat 500 Collezione Fall/Winter Edition pricing*

*Excludes on-road costs