The world has waited wistfully since Dante Giacosa’s tiny, rear-engined, air-cooled submini ceased production three decades ago, and eagerly since the Trepiuno concept at the 2004 Geneva show. It had just three seats and wasn’t really practical, but the world loved it. Clearly Fiat had the will to make a new 500 and make Italians love their national car company again. Fiat CEO Luca de Meo even admits that, when he got his job, his mother said he should build a new 500.

So Fiat has, moving from concept to production in just 18 months thanks to all those engineers and designers who live entirely inside computers.