Fiat observes Paris Fashion Week with 500 Couture special edition

Wed, 01 Oct 2014

The Paris Motor Show may be where the bulk of new cars will be presented this week in the French capital, but it's not the only place. Fiat has chosen the swank Champs Elysées to unveil a trio of special-edition Cinquecento models as part of Fashion Week.

The first in the 500 Couture line will be the Fiat 500 Ron Arad Edition, born out of a collaboration with the noted Israeli fashion designer. As you can see above, it features a metallic black paint job emblazoned with the silhouette of the original Cinquecento, showing just how much bigger the current 500 is than its progenitor. It also features a glass sunroof, chrome trim, white mirror caps, 16-inch alloys and a black interior with Poltrona Frau leather and all the fixin's.

The 500 Ron Arad edition is joined by the 500 Comics and 500 Camouflage show cars, the former with a vibrant yellow and black paint job and stitching graphics, the latter with a gray/green treatment with bright yellow mirror caps. See 'em all in the image gallery above.

"500 Couture" Fiat presents the next frontier of exclusive customisation

- Fiat presents "500 Couture", the next frontier of exclusive customisation, at the MotorVillage Rond-Point des Champs Elysées this evening in Paris for Fashion Week.
- Star of the event will be the iconic Fiat 500 which boasts a natural flair for customisation, just like in the world of fashion. This is the context of the new "500 Ron Arad Edition", the latest take on the concept of Italian high-end tailoring for customers who want to express their personality with a uniquely distinctive style.
- Created in collaboration with the famous Israeli designer, the "500 Ron Arad Edition" pays homage to the legendary 1957 Fiat 500, the silhouette of which is drawn on the bodywork by means of quintessentially Italian craftsmanship to further enhance the vintage soul of the Fiat model.
- The "500 Ron Arad Edition" will be on sale on major European markets as from November. The "500 Comics" and "500 Camouflage" showcars, two more exclusive examples of the "500 Couture" concept , will also be on show in Paris.

Fiat 500 makes headlines once more, as befits an authentic Italian style icon, this time by presenting "500 Couture", the next frontier of exclusive customisation in Paris, of which the exclusive "500 Ron Arad Edition" is an example. Distinguished by special quintessentially Italian craftsmanship, the bodywork is customised with a specific design like a garment "sewn" onto the car and making it unique. The "500 Comics" and "500 Camouflage" showcars, two different expressions of the "500 Couture" concept, inspired by the world of fashion and created to enhance the pop and trendy nature in the 500's DNA, will also be on display in Paris.

Versatile, creative and perfectly at ease in cities, the iconic Fiat 500 boasts a natural flair for customisation. This is the context of the new "500 Ron Arad Edition", the latest take on the concept of Italian high-end tailoring for customers who want to express their personality with a uniquely distinctive style. In recent years, customisation has become paramount for the automotive world where there is a great variety of choice and where customers are getting more and more careful and selective. Thus, we are now faced with a growing selection of cars and a change in the attitude of customers, who in their purchasing decisions now show a strong desire for distinction: every customer wants to feel unique and assert their own personality with their car. There is only one answer to this legitimate demand for extreme customisation: the Fiat 500.

The premiere will take place this evening, during the Paris Fashion Week, at the MotorVillage Rond-Point des Champs Elysées with an exclusive cocktail organised in collaboration with Condé Nast's "L'Uomo Vogue" magazine. Ron Arad will be attending the event together with Olivier Francois, Global Head of Brand Fiat, Franca Sozzani, Editor of "L'Uomo Vogue" and Roberto Giolito, Vice President Design Centre EMEA Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

The "500 Ron Arad Edition" celebrates the meeting between an iconic car and an internationally celebrated designer. In particular, the silhouette of the legendary 1957 Fiat 500 - informally known as 'Cinquino' by enthusiasts - is drawn on the sides of the car using quintessentially Italian craftsmanship. It was precisely the founder of the current 500 family that Ron Arad chose as the central figure in the "Reverse" exhibition hosted from December 2013 to March 2014 in the Pinacoteca Agnelli, Turin, the exhibition area designed by Renzo Piano at the 4th floor of the Lingotto, at the level of the track where Fiat cars including the 500 were once tested.

The "500 Ron Arad Edition" is packed with great features, including a glass sunroof, chrome-plated accents, black interiors, superb black Poltrona Frau leather seats with ivory trim, 7" TFT instrument panel, Blue&Me, leather steering wheel with radio controls, automatic climate control system, fog lights, 16" alloy rims, black metallic paintwork and white mirror caps with the silhouette of the legendary 500 drawn on the side panels.

To be sold starting from November on the major markets across Europe, the "500 Ron Arad Edition" is a collector's item and Fiat has decided to reserve a special service to enthusiasts who will buy it. The car will be delivered directly to the new owner's home together with an accurate 1:18 scale model in a showcase.

The same exclusivity is expressed by the "500 Comics" and "500 Camouflage" showcars, both of which will be on show in MotorVillage Rond-Point des Champs Elysées. The first car pays homage to the pop nature of the iconic 500, and flaunts a beguiling two-tone livery (pastel ochre yellow/metallic black) embellished by craftsmanship resulting in "stitching" that traces out the stylish lines. The "500 Camouflage" instead is inspired by the trendy nature in the 500's DNA and plays on a particular grey/green camouflage pattern, highlighted by the fluorescent yellow mirror covers.

The three exclusive customisations of "500 Couture" - that is, the "500 Ron Arad Edition" and the "500 Comics" and 500 Camouflage" showcars - confirm the multifarious soul of the iconic Fiat model which is at ease in the world of Art and Design as well. Heir to the 1957 Fiat 500 - the stylistic reference of the rounded lights and classic logo with chrome-plated bonnet trim - the new 500 is sold in more than 100 countries worldwide and marked the return of the Fiat brand to the United States. One of the secrets of its global success is certainly its capability of continuously evolving with new interpretations to the extent that it now defines a family of models which are reciprocally very different in form and character, but which all share the same roots: the iconic Fiat 500.

Turin, 30 September 2014

By Noah Joseph