Fiat's 'Bambina': a 'small car with a big heart'

Japan makes plenty of fun little cars, but it is far from having a monopoly on the aesthetic.

European makers almost "out-cute" the competition with a number of pintsize people-movers such as the tiny Smart Fortwo and the revived Mini Cooper. Now comes the re-arrival of perhaps the most important small car since the Mini; Fiat has dusted off one of Italy's most popular cultural icons in the form of the new Fiat 500.

You may recognize the car, nicknamed Bambina, from its many appearances in European films such as Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" (1960) and Luc Besson's "Le Grand Bleu" (1988), or, closer to home, the Japanese animation "Lupin the 3rd" and a slew of video games such as "Gran Turismo 2." Many people will probably have seen a Fiat 500 named Luigi in the Disney/Pixar animated film "Cars" (2006).