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Tuesday, 29 March, 2011 2:55 AM
Fiat
North America Begins Delivering Fiat 500 Prima Edizione Models to
Fiat Enthusiasts
500
Prima Edizione models reserved exclusively for Fiat brand enthusiasts
Photo
credit: PRNewsFoto/Chrysler Group LLC, Stu Estler
Laura
Soave presents keys of Fiat 500 Prima Edizione No. 11 to
Shaun Folkerts at Fiat of Gaithersburg, Md.
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AUBURN
HILLS, Mich. -- Fiat North America has begun delivering
the first Fiat 500 Prima Edizione models to customers throughout
the United States this week.
These limited-edition
2012 Fiat 500 models were offered to Fiat
enthusiasts in the U.S. as a reward for their years of steadfast
loyalty
to the Fiat brand. The 500 special-edition models represent the
first
Fiat vehicles to be sold in the U.S. since 1984.
"We are delighted
to begin delivering the highly-anticipated Fiat
Cinquecento Prima Edizione models to our cherished Fiat fans,"
said
Laura Soave, Head of Fiat Brand North America. "We value their
unwavering loyalty and are thrilled that we now can show our
appreciation by delivering the Prima Edizione models. The Prima
Edizione
marks the exciting and long-awaited return of the Fiat brand and
true
Italian automotive design to North America."
The Prima Edizione (First
Edition) model is meant for Fiat stalwarts
like Shaun Folkerts, 38, who has a barn full of Fiat vehicles, dating
back to 1958 and in various stages of restoration on his property
in
Douglassville, Pa. He has 90 Fiat vehicles in his collection, about
a
third of them housed in the barn, and the rest in a nearby warehouse.
Folkerts, a former environmental
consultant and now stay-at-home dad,
drove today from his home in southeastern Pennsylvania to take delivery
of his Prima Edizione at Fiat of Gaithersburg, a Fiat Studio in
Maryland
in the metro Washington D.C. area.
"I've been waiting
almost 28 years for this model to arrive, so I would
drive anywhere, anytime for this Fiat 500," an elated Folkerts
said.
Folkerts' first car as
a teenager was a Fiat Spider "and I've never
looked back."
In July 2010, Fiat fans
attending the Club Fiat-Lancia Unlimited annual
convention in North Carolina were given the opportunity to place
reservations and select their vehicle build number for the unique
Prima
Edizione model.
Folkerts took delivery
today of Prima Edizione No. 11, produced in
Toluca, Mexico. The model appeals to a broad spectrum of customers,
like
the father and son from Pennsylvania, each getting their own Prima
Edizione model, and the husband and wife team of Italian descent
in
Philadelphia who will soon take delivery of a Rosso (Red) Prima
Edizione
and a Bianco (White) model. Even a 16-year-old high school sophomore
soon will drive her Prima Edizione model home in suburban Detroit.
"The fact that these
cars are reserved by a father and son, a husband
and wife, and even a high school girl illustrates the strong appeal
of
this model to a broad array of customers who identify with Italian
design, modern technology, fuel efficiency and overall value,"
Soave
said.
Soave was ecstatic as
she handed the keys of the No. 11 Prima Edizione
to Folkerts today at Fiat of Gaithersburg. It also was a special
moment
for dealer Harry Criswell.
"This is clearly
one of the highlights of my automobile career,"
Criswell says. "This is a perfect car for the perfect time.
The American
public is ready for this vehicle. I think this Fiat 500 will create
an
entirely new market segment of vehicles."
The Fiat 500 Prima Edizione
is exclusively available in three colors: Bianco, Rosso and Grigio
(Gray). These limited-edition Fiat 500 models are equipped with
a manual transmission. Designed as a collector vehicle, each Prima
Edizione will feature a sequentially numbered
vehicle identification number (VIN) and unique numbered matching
badge on the instrument panel.
About the FIAT
brand
The FIAT brand is synonymous
with modern, simple Italian design, and its models offer unique
world-class technological solutions. For the last four years, Fiat
was the lowest CO2 producer among Europe's best-selling automotive
brands, and the Fiat 1.4-liter MultiAir® turbo engine was named
"Best New Engine of the Year" in 2010.
The reintroduction of
the FIAT brand in North America is led by the modern generation
of the Fiat 500, followed by the Fiat 500C (cabrio) this year.
Source:
Chrysler Group LLC
Related Story:
Fiat
returns to the L.A. Auto Show and reveals three 500's
Photo
credit: PRNewsFoto/Chrysler Group LLC, Stu Estler
Elated
Shaun Folkerts tries out his new 2012 Fiat 500 Prima Edizione model.
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