Italy August 2013: It’s a Fiat 500-mania – Photo report

Nissan Juke in commando attire in Vintimiglia, Italy – August 2013 (Click to view larger version).

One year has passed since my last Italian Photo report, and today I had the opportunity to return to Ventimiglia for a new report. If last year I was surprised by the feeble amount of new gen Fiat Pandas in the streets given its #1 ranking in the country, this year… well I’m surprised again! I counted only 5 new gen Pandas all afternoon (vs. 3 last year) whereas it has now been the best-selling model in the country for a solid 2 years. I even saw more shiny new Puntos… So I’ve decided this is a particularity of the region I visited, because I remember last year a few of you saying the streets of Torino, Milano and Sardinia were already filled with new gen Pandas…

The Nuova Fiat 500 is becoming a legend… (and Italians do make interestingly-shaped sun shades!)

One thing that struck me this year more than last is the omnipresence of the Fiat 500. The old generation is still everywhere, and is adored like a God here so no surprises – I even think I saw more than in 2012, as if people were fixing them up and bringing them back to life, perpetrating the fashion. If you are Italian, have bought a used 50-year old Fiat 500 recently and can’t stop grinning while driving it I think I saw you today! But the big realisation this year is the current gen Fiat 500 literally filling the streets of Vintimiglia. After all, it has now been inside the Italian Top 5 virtually without interruption for the last 6 years and most owners are holding on to theirs for dear life. I say we are witnessing the birth of a new legend…

Lancia Ypsilon in Ventimiglia, Italy – August 2013.

The other Italian models to have struck a chord here are the new gen Lancia Ypsilon, Fiat 500L and Alfa Romeo Giulietta while the Fiat Freemont has slowly but surely blended into the Italian car landscape. However last year’s craze for the Lancia Delta has well and truly stopped…

Fiat 500 in Ventimiglia, Italy – August 2013. 

Something that escaped me last year but I really noticed today was the frequency of Fiat Qubo, Piaggio Porter and Fiat Strada. I was surprised because of their low ranking in my monthly updates, but then realised these updates aren’t for LCVs. An LCV ranking by model for Italy is something I have never managed to get my hands on so if you have access to this please do contact me at matt@bestsellingcarsblog.com!

Dacia Sandero in Ventimiglia, Italy – August 2013.

Keeping in mind Ventimiglia is only minutes away from the French border therefore buyers may still be biased towards French models, I saw a reasonable amount of Renault Clio IV, Peugeot 208, Dacia Sandero, Renault Megane station wagon and, surprise, Renault Twingo. Nissan is very strong with the Qashqai and Juke (including one in a commando outfit!) present in droves. Same observation as last year regarding the mini segment: models obscure elsewhere in Europe are frequent here, notably the Ford Ka and Mitsubishi Colt.

Previous Italy Photo report: Italy August 2012: New Fiat Panda still a rare sight

The Full Photo Report is below!