Having a fashionable car in your line-up certainly has its perks - like the ability to team up with a fashion label to create a special edition that makes the car even more, uhm, fashionable.
Enter the 'Fiat 500 by Diesel' which has just docked into South Africa, ready to pounce on a trendy boulevard near you.
A collaboration between Fiat's Style Centre in Turin and fashion label Diesel has spawned what Fiat calls "2011's 'must-have' designer accessory." Not sure we'll all concur on that, but in a more practical sense it does "take fashion from the runway to the freeway."
The accessory, uhm… special edition car, was moulded around the Fiat 500 Sport, a model powered by Fiat's 74kW 1.4-litre 16V PETROL engine. In addition to the choice between two bespoke metallic colours (Diesel Green and Blue Midnight Indigo), here's how fashionistas will distinguish it out on the street:
Special 16-inch alloy wheels with the Diesel logo; unique door mirror fairings; Diesel logos on the rear finisher and side mouldings and a burnished metal finish on the front and rear bumper inserts, door mirrors, side mouldings, boot finisher, door handles and side pillar mouldings.
Moving inside you'll be treated to unique upholstery by Diesel in denim fabric with yellow stitching, Diesel logos splashed throughout, door kick plates with a "For successful living" slogan and a special pouch (reminiscent of the fifth pocket on Diesel jeans) on the side of the front seats among other 'trendy' details.
The toys include a Bluetooth hands-free system with voice recognition, steering wheel-mounted controls, USB port, a port that allows for seamless dashboard integration with a Tom Tom navigation system and a four-speaker sound system with an amplifier and subwoofer.
The hatchback version (this model is also available as a cabriolet) is fitted with a fixed glass roof with a blind.
Fiat SA's MD Oscar Rivoli enthused: "I am delighted that we are able to expand the Cinquecento's product portfolio with the 500 by Diesel - in fact, it's the first of several exciting Fiat 500 limited editions that will be introduced during this year.
"It will appeal to free-spirited drivers who have a distinctive personality and, with all the benefits of Fiat 500 already there, I have no doubt that it will prove a first-rate purchase for its trendy new owners, both male and female."
PRICING:
Hatch - R182 480
Cabriolet - R214 480