Fiat Trepiùno
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| Fiat Trepiùno | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Fiat |
| Designer | Roberto Giolito at Centro Stile Fiat |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Subcompact |
| Body style | 3-door hatchback concept car |
| Layout | Front engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 129.6 in (3,292 mm)[1] |
The Fiat Trepiùno is a transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive, four-passenger concept city car introduced by Fiat at the 2004 Geneva Salon international de l'auto; styled at the Centro Stile Fiat; powered by a 54 hp 1100cc engine[2] and built by the Turin-based company, I.DE.A.[3]
Designed by Roberto Giolito,[4] the Trepiùno is noted for its reconfigurable interior,[2] which can accommodate four passengers in a 3+1 configuration, i.e., three adults and one occasional passenger. The name Trepiùno translates from Italian as "three plus one".[5]
Presented at the Geneva Motor Show under the theme "Return to the Future,"[6] the Trepiùno's styling recalled Fiat's original Fiat 500, introduced for model year 1957[7][8] and widely called the Bambino[9] — a model that was designed by noted Fiat engineer Dante Giacosa and went on to sell more than four million examples over a production run of 18 years.[3] The Trepiùno also uses Giacosa's breakthrough transverse front-wheel drive layout — which ultimately became an industry standard,[10] the front-wheel drive layout "adopted by virtually every other manufacturer in the world."[11]
The 2004 concept Trepiùno inspired a subsequent production four-seater hatchback and cabriolet, the 6th-generation 500 & 500C (2007),[7] designed under the direction of Frank Stephenson at Centro Stile Fiat.[12] The 500 would go on to be marketed in more than 100 countries worldwide and win more than 40 awards, including the CAR Magazine Car of the Year (2007)[13] and the 2008 European Car of the Year. It is still in production more than a decade after its launch.[14]
Stung by the tremendous success of the Smart Fortwo, especially in Italy,[3] Fiat began examining a variety of small car concepts "to regain its small-car crown,"[3] — developing an "intense interest in producing a Smart (Fortwo) competitor"[15] — and concluding that "most customers want more than just the Smart’s two seats."[3]
Roberto Giolito said "many owners of vehicles such as the two-seater Smart would prefer added seating flexibility and that desire has prompted the option of a third seat in the Fiat Trepiuno concept,"[16] adding: "three seats is a good number for the city car", where the Smart (Fortwo) could be restrictive. The Fiat philosophy there is the trend to create something more useful for daily problems."[16]
