Roberto Giolito, the designer behind the reinvention of Fiat's historic 500 nameplate, was recently promoted to the top spot at Fiat Automobiles, becoming Head of Design.
This appointment follows the successful modern interpretation of the Dante Giancosa-designed 1950s Nuova 500, unveiled at a huge gala festival in Turin on July 4 this year, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the quintessential Italian 'people's car'. The popular New 500 has since made quite an impact with the public, having won the EuroCarBody 2007 award as well as being recently honored with the European Car of the Year award, an accolade bestowed upon it by an international jury made up of 58 specialist journalists from 22 European countries.
Giolito, who previously held the position as Head of Fiat's Advanced Design Studio, is also responsible for creating the widely applauded Trepiuno concept car - unveiled at the 2004 Geneva Auto Show - that was the precursor to the New 500. He will replace Christopher Reitz who has since taken on the role of Head of Group Style and Material Scouting for Fiat.
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