Fiat and Alfa on Display in the USA!

Fiat and Alfa on Display in the USA!

The new Fiat 500 and the Alfa Romeo Spider make their USA debut this week (7-10 January 2008) at one of the world’s largest and most important exhibitions, but its not the Detroit International Motor Show, rather the Italians have gone to Las Vegas to take part in the 31st Consumer Electronics Show, the world’s largest electronics show with 2,700 exhibitors and 140,000 visitors walking through 1.8 million square metres of the newest and most advanced technology.

Fiat and Alfa Romeo are attending the CES to display Blue&Me, the joint venture between Microsoft, Fiat and Magneti Marelli that has produced a new benchmark for telematic system, the integration of communications, entertainment and navigation systems for cars in terms of both sophistication and, with more than 250,000 systems sold, success in the market place.

The Fiat 500 displays the standard Blue&Me system –which will be fitted as standard to the top versions of the Fiat 500 when it arrives in New Zealand and which is already fitted to the new Fiat Bravo – with its seamless blend of in-car entertainment and communications. The Alfa Romeo Spider, meanwhile, adds navigation with Blue&Me Nav, as well as EcoDrive, which helps educate drivers how to cut emissions and fuel consumption by offering real time information on the efficiency of their driving style.

Blue&Me, the result of a cooperative effort between Fiat Group Automobiles and Microsoft, was presented in world preview at the Geneva Motor Show 2006. Fiat Group Automobiles was the first motor manufacturer with whom Microsoft worked at developing a completely new platform. In the subsequent eighteen month period, this platform was followed by three further satnav versions, namely Nav and Map and environment friendly EcoDrive.

Following the launch, a year and a half ago, 250,000 Blue&Me systems have been sold, fitted to Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Fiat and Fiat commercial vehicles, with average take-up in excess of 20 per cent. Seven out of ten Fiat 500s incorporate Blue&Me as standard, confirming the wider appeal of a solution which is easy to use, flexible and cost effective.

ENDS

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