Fiat Mio: a car for the people, by the people

Peugeot has previously enlisted the help of the general public to come up with a vision for the car of the future, and now Fiat has adopted the same approach to create a mini-commuter concept.

The offbeat Mio concept is a car created online by more than 17,000 people, and revealed at the Sao Paulo motor show in Brazil. The central thrust of the initiative was to make the car more personal.

The Mio measures less than 2.5m in length and its design highlights include covered wheels (to minimise drag and therefore increase efficiency), camouflaged headlights and a huge glasshouse. Inside, there are touch-screen controls and mobile phone integration technology.

The Mio reached fruition after an online collaborative process in which more than 17,000 people were involved, with the central theme being urban mobility and sustainability. It was "designed for a world where the driver can be simply a passenger and can have the vehicle controlled through intelligent means."

Fiat design boss Peter Fassbender was quoted by Autocar magazine as saying: "A good designer tries to realise the wishes of everyone, and with this concept car we were truly working on everybody's behalf."

The Mio's evolution involves several stages, with the first round of questions posed to the Mio community being about features and design. Later, users will be asked for branding and marketing ideas.

Brazil was chosen as the home for Fiat Mio because it's a digitally sophisticated and innovative market, and Fiat's largest after its home turf of Italy. Fiat is also Brazil's No1 car brand, with a market share of around 25 per cent, and the country's fifth-largest advertiser, spending about $80 million a year.

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