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MT 29 November 2015

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45 Events maltatoday, SUNDAY, 29 NOVEMBER 2015 New Fiat 500 at Baystreet Until today Sunday, Baystreet shopping complex will be hosting the new 2016 FIAT 500 alongside two classic 500 models, all on public display. Concurrently with this launch, FIAT is announcing a limited offer on the new FIAT 500 with the price starting from €13,000. Just this month, the FIAT 500 reached the 1.5 million unit milestone in Europe with the landmark car in question, a white 1.2 Pop, rolling off the pro- duction line in Tychy, Poland, destined for its new owner in France. Throughout these years since its launch in 2007, the FI- AT 500 managed to garner over 40 international awards includ- ing the prestigious European Car of The Year accolade in 2008. It is now on sale in more than 100 countries around the world, from Japan to North America. The Fiat 500 has now been giv- en a new facelift and besides new infotainment and safety speci- fications, the popular retro city car got also better in terms of styling, cabin comfort and pow- ertrain revisions. This refresh breathes new life into the now eight-year old 500 model. In fact FIAT has carried out no less than 1,800 changes to help the model compete more strongly in the current aggressive market. When it comes to exterior styl- ing, few changes have been made. These include changes to the main headlamps now redesigned with Xenon units while the halo- gen daytime running lights have been replaced with smarter LED items. A new dual-bar top grille looks neater next to the tweaked bumper and air intake. At the back there are new LED lamps with a ring design, while the chrome bumper trim has been lowered. Fiat has also extended the 500's famously bold customisation op- tions with a new bodywork wrap- ping option known as 'Second Skin' where buyers can choose to cover their 500 in vibrant pat- terns and wrap options - from simple belt-line graphics to full body coverings. There are also new alloy wheel designs and a wider variety of colour choices inside and out. Inside, the changes are more noticeable, with a refreshed dash- board layout designed around a new five-inch 'Uconnect' info- tainment screen. On entry-level 'Pop' cars it is a simple system with six-speakers and USB/AUX connection, but on top-spec Lounge models it comes with Bluetooth, DAB, satnav with TomTom's Live connected traffic services and smartphone inte- gration. The cabin also features more upmarket materials and new upholstery options, while seven airbags are now standard across the whole range. With regards to engines, these have all been tweaked to meet imminent Euro 6 regulations, with the 69bhp 1.2-litre and both versions of the TwinAir 0.9-litre petrol all available with start/ stop. The TwinAir, available with 85 or 105bhp, offers CO2 emis- sions lower than 90g/km in both forms, while the former is capa- ble of up to 74.3mpg combined. The 1.3-litre Multijet diesel, which will be available later on in the year, offers CO2 emissions of 89g/km. An 'Eco' variant of the base 1.2-litre petrol will also be available. This will see a smart alternator, aerodynamic body kit and low rolling resistance tyres fitted to push CO2 emissions under 99g/km. Fiat has also up- dated the 'Dualogic' robotised semi-automatic transmission, which now gets steering column shift paddles. Facebook Competition Concurrently with the launch of the new 2016 FIAT 500, a Facebook competition is being launched whereby those who visit FIAT Malta's Facebook page need to 'like' and 'share' the im- age of the new 2016 FIAT 500 to enter the chance of winning tick- ets for Baystreet's ice rink. All details of this competition may be found on FIAT Malta's Face- book page. In line with the next scrappage scheme to be launched by Gov- ernment on the 1st of December, FIAT is also listing the new 500 as eligible for this scheme. Design brings significant benefits to businesses An online survey conducted by esprimi.eu amongst employers and entrepreneurs in Malta re- vealed that innovation, technol- ogy and competitive advantage are the three words mostly as- sociated with design. The re- sults were presented by Business Leaders Malta CEO, Morgan Par- nis, at the 'Innovation through Design' conference held at The Palace hotel, Sliema on the 6th of November. The research find- ings have shown that companies employing 5-9 employees asso- ciated design to "Competitive Advantage" in the same extent as they did with "Innovation". Companies employing 10-250 employees associated design primarily with "Innovation" fol- lowed by "Development of Client Oriented Goods and Services". Following the appointment of Malta Business Bureau as the ambassador for the European Commission's Design for Europe programme in Malta, MBB in collaboration with the Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Business and the En- terprise Europe Network, has successfully kicked off its first design initiative which saw 140 individuals from both the pri- vate and public sector partici- pate in this seminar. The aim of the event was to promote vari- ous methods of tapping innova- tive design concepts, encourage start-ups, SMEs and members of the public sector to add value to their products and services as well as to increase the reach of the Design for Europe pro- gramme in Malta. In his opening address MBB President Mario Spiteri welcomed all participants and speakers and introduced the rationale behind the design initiative expressing his hopes for the conference to inspire participants to integrate design even further in their business models, strategies and services. Mr Spiteri commented that, "although it is often under- estimated, design can bring sig- nificant benefits and solutions to businesses; most importantly it opens up the doors for valuable opportunities." The event was moderated by MBB CEO Joe Tanti, who wel- comed keynote speaker Dr Kamil Michlewski, brand strategy con- sultant at the Value Engineers, London. Dr Michlewski pre- sented best practice case stud- ies including that of the Danish Design Ladder which uses design as a strategy coupled with the benefits of the design approach to business and government or- ganisations. In his presentation, Dr Michlewski highlighted the importance of deeper integra- tion of design and designers. This tied in with his recent book, published earlier this year – De- sign Attitude. A vibrant panel debate moder- ated by Times of Malta Assistant Editor, Vanessa Macdonald com- prised of speakers from diverse professional backgrounds. The panellists, including Dr Mich- lewski, Architect David Xuereb, CEO QP Management, Richard Mifsud, Senior Manager JP Ad- vertising and Professor Tanya Sammut-Bonnici, Head of the Marketing Department at the University of Malta. . Following the panel debate, Caldon Mercieca, Project Leader of the Valletta Design Cluster, demonstrated the various De- sign Cluster initiatives under- way to support local private sec- tors that use design in order to help them to internationalise. Mr Caldon also presented sup- port measure in the making such as mentorship and consultancy that would be provided through a programme which will involve international industry experts and specialists. In the concluding address, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry for the Economy, In- vestment and Small Business, Nancy Caruana reiterated the Ministry's support for the MBB's initiative and the importance of design for economic growth. Ms Caruana remarked, "Businesses can only thrive by being leaders in the market. Being leaders in the market implies change, not for the sake of change, but for delivering a better product, a better service, to the consumer, a product or a service which is unique in the marketplace". The closing speech was fol- lowed by a networking lunch, of- fering all participants the oppor- tunity to discuss the morning's thought provoking ideas, forge business relations and raise their questions further with Dr Mich- lewski, guest speakers and the panellists. Design for Europe is the public name of the EC's European De- sign Innovation Platform (EDIP). Through this project, MBB CEO Joe Tanti will join a number of Design for Europe Ambassadors who are being appointed in each of the 28 EU Member States. For more information about the Innovation through Design initiative, kindly contact Ms Ana Vella. Email: avella@mbb.org.mt or call on +356 21251719. Dr Kamil Michlewski, Architect David Xuereb, Richard Mifsud, Professor Tanya Sammut-Bonnici and Vanessa Macdonald.

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