Fiat Auto (1973)

The problem isn't merely the number of cars in our cities, it's the cars themselves.
Over the last ten years, the average European car has become longer, wider and more powerful. The growth happened undramatically, a little every year. But over the 10 years the change has been enormous. Where once it might have taken 50 cars to make a traific jam, today less than 40 cars can do the same job.
With so many cars in our cities, however, what’s needed aren’t cars that are getting larger.
What’s needed are cars that are getting smaller.
And that's precisely what we at Fiat are making.
We’re developing cars that give you more room inside while taking up less room outside, cars that can park in smaller spaces rather than large ones, cars that can manoeuvre in tight traflic situations, and cars that cost less to maintain.
In brief, we’re making cars that run counter to the trend that most European cars are following.
The Fiat 127 and 128, for example, are shorter outside than other cars in their class. Yet they are roomier inside than some American cars that are as much as 1 metre longer outside. Astoundingly, 80% of the space in the 127 and 128 is devoted to passengers and luggage, and only 20% of the space is for the engine.
Likewise the Fiat 124 and 132 are shorter outside than almost anything in their class, yet they’re roomier inside than many of Europe’s “luxury" cars.
The engines in the Fiat 127 and 128 are not large, but they more than make up for their lack of size in efliciency. Each car has a transverse-mounted engine that’s capable of a top speed of 140 km/h and a cruising speed of 120 or 125 km/h with no strain. Each has acceleration characteristic of cars several hundred cubic centimetres larger. Yet each will get about 14 km per litre of fuel.
If you do most of your driving in the city, you may even benefit more from the Fiat 126: the most compact true 4-passenger car built today. It lets you zip through city traffic, park practically anywhere and navigate narrow streets that were never designed with cars in mind. Yet it will do over 105 km/h.
As a rule, any Fiat you buy will handle remark- ably well, too. Even beyond what you might expect from small cars. This is due in part to a number of engineering features that you don’t normally {ind in cars of their price. In the Fiat 127 and 128 there are such things as front-wheel drive, front disk brakes, all independent suspension and now, servo-assisted brakes on the 128.
Most important, all our Fiats deal realistically with the driving problems we have in our cities today, which is rare, indeed.