At first glance, the FIAT 500 is a stunning car. And its high disposition to being personalized thanks to the tens of possible combinations, enhance its customisation qualities even more. Yet, FIAT has used this quality to its advantage, to sustain that the cinquecento is a car that responds to the character of whoever owns it.

So if a driver wants a more aggressive, assertive and sporty Fiat 500 without wanting to give up on the fashion-conscious stylish qualities and retro looks, the answer lies in the FIAT 500S.

The Fiat 500S is now in Malta and available for viewing at FIAT’s showroom in Psaila Street B’Kara.

“Many like refering to the Fiat 500S as the ‘sportier’ version of the Fiat 500 which to date has been a very successful model in Europe and beyond,” explains Francesca Mamo, Managing Director of UCIM Co Ltd, official importers of FIAT in Malta.

“The 500S fills in an important void in our customer offering because the 500, one of our most successful models, is now more appealing to those who want a small city car and are not willing to miss out on the unique retro character of the 500 but would prefer knowing they are driving a more sporty, and aggressive looking car. The 500S, with its vast list of specifications and very enticing extras, promises to fulfil these customers’ expectations,” added Ms Mamo.

Extras include automatic gearbox, leather upholstery, opening sunroof, darkened glass, panoramic glass roof, chromed mirrors, black roof and spoiler and more.

Meanwhile, the FIAT 500 has been elected by Americans as the best city car in an extensive customer satisfaction survey by J.D. Power. The research consisted in 77 criteria, all having to do with quality judgment; from design and safety to the way a car drives and feels. Over 83,000 people participated in this research and each had a maximum of 90 days with the car. The Fiat 500 was elected best ‘city car’ and was given the maximum score in the category of ‘Performance and Design’.

Sales-wise too, the cinquecento is now the leader on the US market. Fiat-Chrysler has again had an excellent sales month in June on the North-American market and sold 156.686 cars in total, equal to an increase of 8% compared to the same month last year. The brand Fiat keeps on growing as well with the 500 (+ 1%) and even had its best sales month since the comeback of the brand early 2011. Things are going well in Canada too (+ 11%) as it was the best half-year since 2000. For the group as a whole, June 2013 was the best sixth month of the year since 2007. This means the constant growth of Chrysler since Fiat’s takeover continues.