Fiat 500 and Smeg

What is a cooling motor doing underneath the bonnet of a Fiat 500?
In 2013, Smeg and Fiat merged form and function to create an extraordinary new item for the “FIAT 500 Design collection”. Because a refrigerator is not just an electrical appliance, and a bonnet is not just a car part.

I'm really happy that, we’re launching this product. It is the result of years of work, and it reawakens a historical collaboration between Smeg and Fiat, and not forgetting the creativity of Italia Independent –; Lapo Elkann, in 2013 - The Fiat 500 is an Italian icon that from now can even be found in another dimension, in bars and peoples living rooms all over the world.

The “SMEG 500” previewed in Paris on the 30th May 2013, during an exclusive event at Colette, the famous concept store on Rue Saint-Honorè;.

This collaboration stems from the interest that Fiat has always for the world of design, not only applied to the automotive industry but also in other "fields". Smeg, known for its extensive technological and design know-how and capability to create ad hoc solutions to meet any aesthetic and functional need, proved to be the ideal company with which to achieve this ambitious project.The two Made-in-Italy advocates had already met in the 1950’s (the years of mass automobile production and of “white goods” development) when Fiat, with the invaluable collaboration of Smeg, also manufactured refrigeration.

“Smeg and Fiat, together with Italia Independent, knew how to approach the challenge, - Vittorio Bertazzoni, Smeg CEO, 2013 –; and for me, creating the Smeg500, was above all a matter of personal honour. I strongly believed in this project as it pays tribute to the memory of my grandfather: when he founded Smeg, immediately after the Second World War, one of his first collaborations was creating refrigerators with Fiat. Furthermore, this partnership is witness to the amazing industrial competence of Made-in-Italy which gives life and body to creativity via one of its most symbolic objects”.

Smeg and Fiat surprised yet again with this inspirational new design by reinventing looks, eliciting a smile, injecting the passion of creativity into the rigor of technology.

It is the ability of art that allows you to see beyond appearances, beyond the limits. It is the ability of innovators who continually transform one thing into something else with ease and irreverence. The refrigerator cellar was A+ rated for energy efficiency, had a 100 litre capacity, and was available in white, red and green finishes.