2007 European Car of the Year

[Kitdy]

...and the European Car of the Year award goes to:

The Fiat 500!

From Autoblog:

Hot on the heels of the announced winner of EVO's Car of the Year award comes the revelation from the bigger European Car of the Year, which bestowed the citation for 2008 to the impossibly charming Fiat 500. While EVO's, like Motor Trend here, is awarded by one magazine, the European Car of the Year is named by a collection of several major European publications in several different languages from several European countries.

As we reported earlier, the 500 made the short-list of seven finalists from a pool of 33 nominees. Ultimately the retro Italian hatch beat out some stiff competition from Ford (Mondeo), Kia (cee'd), Mazda (2), Mercedes (C-Class), Nissan (Qashqai) and Peugeot (308).

Not only did the 500 take it by a wide margin – 385 points to the runner-up Mazda2's 325 – but the recognition pushes Fiat even further ahead in the annals of the award's history. Fiat itself has won the contest no less than nine times, while its subsidiaries Alfa Romeo and Lancia add another two and one, respectively. Now if they'll only start bring the 500 stateside, it can start racking up the awards here, too.

Interesting result to say the least. I personally think that this car is really sweet but that is only a third-party observation - I suppose this gives some credence to the little car that could though.

[NicFromLA]

Oh hells yes I hope the Fiat 500 comes Stateside!

In my head I'm already practicing driving it the way you're supposed to: steering, shifting, smoking a cigarette, talking on your cell phone about how Ferrari should've won the race, rubbing the model in the passenger seat's thigh and yelling "Ciao!" out the window at someone you may or may not know all at the same time. I'll take the Abarth version in red thank you very much!

[Matra et Alpine]

You forgot constantly pressing the horn

[Ingolstadt]

Originally Posted by NicFromLA

steering, shifting, smoking a cigarette, talking on your cell phone about how Ferrari should've won the race, rubbing the model in the passenger seat's thigh and yelling "Ciao!" out the window at someone you may or may not know all at the same time. I'll take the Abarth version in red thank you very much!

Originally Posted by Matra et Alpine

You forgot constantly pressing the horn

That my friend, is what i call living life!


I'm sick and tired of countries that imposes stupid bans and regulations like no smoking and driving, no cellphone while driving, no eating while driving, no wanking while driving, no smoking in public places. These rules are regulated by nerds from schools where they did not have a taste of what life is, and began forbidding other people from living theirs....

[Matra et Alpine]

Originally Posted by Ingolstadt

That my friend, is what i call living life!

THat's not what I woudl call it
Having driven in Milan and Rome it is closest to death.... wrong way round roundabout because of traffic jam and even driving up on the pavements !!
Love them Itlaian "rules"

[NicFromLA]

I forgot to add doing 60kph on a 30kph two-way road that's only one and a half car widths wide. But man, that's what makes Italy fun.

[henk4]

Originally Posted by NicFromLA

I forgot to add doing 60kph on a 30kph two-way road that's only one and a half car widths wide. But man, that's what makes Italy fun.

Naples is a bit far away from Villa d'E, but you might want to try that....I survived, but my wife was close to a heart failure
and i think you can have the 500 with a hands-free phone set...

[The_Canuck]

Originally Posted by Ingolstadt

where they did not have a taste of what life is, and began forbidding other people from living theirs....

When you get T-boned by some moron on a cell phone, no one will care.

[Dantera22B]

is it me or is ECOTY always won by either a Fiat or an Alfa Romeo? i'm sure that the punto, bravo, panda, 147 and (ahem) 156 have all won it.

[Ingolstadt]

Originally Posted by The_Canuck

When you get T-boned by some moron on a cell phone, no one will care.

People who would T-boned others while on the cell phone would do so as well if they're picking on their nose or having an itch from their scrotum.

In short, people who banged into others not on the context of tyre puncture or car failure are idiots and nuisance.

It's just easier to find someone to 'blame' on a cell phone and hence get their agenda across and "job's-done!" for the ministers.

Lift the legal age of driving from 17 to 22 and watch for yourself the lowering of traffic accidents. You could even impose all 22 year and above MUST talk on their phones whilst driving and you will still get lower accident and fatality rates. I bet you on that, simply because this age groups has had a slightly bigger brain than their balls.

[The_Canuck]

Yeah and we should make people drink well driving too, so they get used to it you know...

[Rockefella]

Originally Posted by Ingolstadt

Lift the legal age of driving from 17 to 22 and watch for yourself the lowering of traffic accidents. You could even impose all 22 year and above MUST talk on their phones whilst driving and you will still get lower accident and fatality rates. I bet you on that, simply because this age groups has had a slightly bigger brain than their balls.

It's bad enough that I can't drink legally until I'm 21. If the drinking age is increased further I'll kill myself.

[henk4]

Originally Posted by Dantera22B

is it me or is ECOTY always won by either a Fiat or an Alfa Romeo? i'm sure that the punto, bravo, panda, 147 and (ahem) 156 have all won it.

well, since the British car industry has gone, slim chances that any car from the Island is going to win, BUT, remember the S-Max, the Focus.....

[henk4]

Originally Posted by Ingolstadt

People who would T-boned others while on the cell phone would do so as well if they're picking on their nose or having an itch from their scrotum.

how about doing that all together at the same time?

[Ingolstadt]

Originally Posted by henk4

how about doing that all together at the same time?

nah ... nothing happened ... i'm 27. tried my best thou .... it's the age...