Proof that you can’t beat a classic design has come from 59 journalists from around the world, who have voted the new Fiat 500 as the 2009 Design Car of the Year. The bay Fiat beat of competition from over fifty other short-listed cars. The Citroën C5 and the Jaguar XF were the other finalists from the short list with the final awards decided at the New York Autoshow.

Receiving the award Fiat’s head of design, Roberto Giolito, said, \"We\'re proud to receive this prestigious international award as a further endorsement of Fiat’s commitment to creating attractive, innovative cars. Italian design has often been a step ahead of trends in the automotive world and our latest models, led by the Fiat 500, are an expression of \'practical beauty\', which is what the world expects of Italian cars.\"

The fact that the new 500 looks remarkably similar to the original model design some fifty years ago did not seem to bother judges.