Fiat has announced an exclusive partnership with Google to create the new ‘Hey Google’ special series for the 500 family. The partnership celebrates the collaboration of technology from Google and style of the 500 family.
The special series is equipped with the Hey Google voice assistant, so customers can connect to their car even when they are away from it, using nothing but their own voice to request and receive information on the car and to interact with it. They can do so via their smartphone or the Google Nest Hub, a digital display included with the welcome kit they receive when purchasing a new 500 family Hey Google car. This user-friendly and innovative connectivity can make everyday life even easier.
The Hey Google special series increases customer interaction with the car. Even from a sofa at home, all it takes is to say “Hey Google, ask my Fiat…” to find out where the car is parked, how much fuel is left, the location of the nearest workshop.
In its interaction with the Fiat Mopar Connect telematics box, included as standard with the new Hey Google models, the Hey Google voice assistant provides all the information required to keep the vehicle status under constant control, find the car’s location and monitor the journeys made – a service also useful for fleet managers. The voice assistant is always there for the customer, as it’s connected to their mobile phone, smart device and the Nest Hub.
For the Hey Google special series, the stylistic languages of 500 and Google come together, to create a cool livery, a play on two colours as essential as the white and gloss black of the roof and mirror caps. Seen for the first time in the automotive landscape is the Google logo on the Hey Google badge, placed on the wheel arches of every model in the 500 family. Both central pillars are also embellished with the multicoloured ‘molecules’ of the Hey Google logo. Inside the passenger compartment, the same motif continues on the new seats, with a label embroidered with ‘Hey Google’, while the dashboard fascia is presented in matt silver with a white 500 logo. The Hey Google signature also features on the welcome screen of the seven-inch touchscreen display: an animation where ‘Hey Google’ appears, then moves onto the Google ‘G’ and eventually transforms into the Fiat logo.
With all the components of this special series designed to make using the technology in your new car even simpler, a welcome kit is included with the purchase. The bag with the Hey Google logo contains the Nest Hub device, customised with a skin to match the 500 family, a key cover, and a welcome letter detailing the four easy steps to activate the Hey Google voice assistant in the car.
In the special Hey Google version, the iconic 500 comes with the optional two-tone white and gloss black exterior, 15-inch alloy wheels, new dark interiors with height adjustable driver’s seat, soft-touch sports steering wheel with built-in controls, and new matt silver dashboard fascia with the 500 logo in white. The 500 Hey Google includes Cruise Control, Uconnect™ seven-inch DAB radio with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six speakers and Mopar® Connect, all as standard. Available in hatchback and convertible versions, the 500 Hey Google is equipped with the 70hp Euro 6D-Final-compliant hybrid engine. It is also available in Bossa Nova White, Tech House Grey, Crossover Black, Electroclash Grey. 500 hybrid hatchback Hey Google is priced from £16,005 OTR and 500 hybrid convertible Hey Google is priced from £18,655 OTR.
With sales of 3.5 million units since 2007, the 500 family is not a newcomer to keeping pace with technology. Although they share the same DNA – that perfect mix of iconic design, freshness and coolness, making up the all-Italian secret of the success of the 500, the three models target different kinds of customers: the 500 has been a Fiat icon since 1957, the city car par excellence that in 2020 – the year the full-electric New 500 was launched, 13 years after its first appearance – racked up another record market share of 17.7 per cent in Europe. The 500L is the family mover, while the 500X is the Italian crossover.
Together, the 500 family has demonstrated its ability to respond to customers’ many needs, partly thanks to the special series made in collaboration with major brands. Taking shared values as a starting point and remaining true to the 500, they explore a wide range of fields from fashion, design and luxury, to music and the latest step into the world of technology. In 2018, the Mirror special series was launched, aimed at an audience always attentive to technology, while for the 120th anniversary of Fiat in 2019, the new connected and elegant 120th 500 family special series was unveiled.
