Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
FORGET all those Lamborghinis, Ferraris and the super luxury Bugatti Veyron. The most irresistible car of the new year is likely to be the all-new Fiat 500, a cheeky city runabout with sex appeal.
In France and Italy, where the little car went on sale last summer, the Fiat 500 is well on its way to becoming an automotive icon. Around 80,000 have been ordered by customers.
In other parts of Europe, it's a case of "catch me if you can," with would-be owners having to wait for anything up to four months before being able to lay their hands on one of the stylish little minicars.
With so few on the roads, the Fiat 500 is a guaranteed head-turner wherever it appears. People stop, smile and wave, gesticulating to the driver to wind down his window so they can find out more.
Fiat spokesman Manfred Kantner said: "This car is not simply a new Fiat model. It is a statement which underscores the competitiveness of the entire company."
Automotive pundits agree that the revitalised 500 is probably the best new Fiat for decades and even notoriously critical journalists are waxing lyrical.
Britain's Top Gear motoring journal said the runabout "embodies effortless Italian style and epitomises the Italian ability to accomplish miracles from simple ingredients."
As reported in Motoring Weekly the car recently won the title of "Car of the Year 2008." The jury lauded the design and safety features which include seven passenger airbags as standard.
So what is all the fuss about? Well, the Fiat Cinquecento is riding on the retro wave started by the enormously successful new Mini but is much cheaper to buy. It also avoids the tackiness long associated with the once near-bankrupt Italian marque. Overall it appeals to people who could afford a bigger car but prefer to buy a smaller one instead.
The resurrected Fiat not only oozes visual charm, but will be ideal for the often traffic-clogged streets of Manama. The shape harks back to the original Fiat 500 or "Topolino" (Mouse in Italian) of 1957 but the car is technically much more sophisticated.
Styled by Robert Giolito, the new Fiat 500 has a well thought out modern shape unlike the new Volkswagen Beetle, a car which failed to catch the public imagination and which enjoys little of the huge popularity enjoyed by its famous predecessor.
Prices for the new Fiat 500 start at 10,500 euros ($15,530). The born-again Cinquecento is being built at a new low-cost factory in Poland.
The baby Fiat is no family carriage but does boast enough space for four people. Two children can travel in the back in comfort although long-legged adults will find it cramped.
The interior of the new 500 is best described as funky, with a dashboard made up of four concentric circles dominated by a giant speedometer and a stubby gear lever in the middle.
The painted surface in between looks like the tin used on the original Cinquento console but is in fact a modern synthetic material.
There is a choice of two petrol engines, developing either 69 or 100 horsepower, and a diesel unit with particle filter which turns out 75 horses. The range of trim materials, colours and accessories is mind-boggling and Fiat claims that 500,000 permutations are possible. Even the ignition key comes in nine different versions.
Public acclaim is set to continue apace this year when a sporty Abarth version of the 500 will make its debut. There are plans for a micro-estate, called the Gardiniera, along with a open-top version from 2009. By then a generation of frugal two cylinder, turbocharged engines should also be ready.
