Fiat Backs Skiing For the Disabled

TURIN, Italy, January, 18 - Fiat is backing the 2010 Disabled Alpine Skiing World Cup this month (18 – 23 January 2010) as the main sponsor of the world’s leading event for disabled winter athletes and to promote its Autonomy programme that provides Fiat and Alfa Romeo vehicles with factory-built conversions for European markets.

Fiat works with leading companies to design fully integrated conversions for its vehicles that provide disabled owners with special controls that not only work efficiently and effectively but also maintain the vehicle’s original style and comfort. For example in the Fiat 500 Guidosimplex produced a new circular electronic accelerator for Fiat. Located beneath the steering wheel with a vertical brake lever, it not only enables the 500 driven without pedals but it is also trimmed to match the stylish interior of the Fiat 500. To further enable the driver of the Fiat 500 Autonomy to be fully independent, the driver’s seat swings through 90 degrees to ease both access to the car and storage of a wheelchair on the rear seat.

In Europe Fiat has offered Autonomy packages since 1995 across its range of cars and commercial vehicles that meet a wide range of specific needs, both for people who are disabled and wish to drive their own vehicles and for people who need to provide transport for disabled users.

More than 120 athletes from 20 countries will be competing in the 2010 Disabled Alpine Skiing World Cup using the same facilities and ski slopes used for the 2006 Winter Olympics and Fiat’s support is the latest demonstration of Fiat’s commitment to reduce prejudices and clichés: in fact, there are no "different" competitions, just "different" abilities, given that all athletes have the same will to win and the same desire to overcome any obstacle.

This commitment is best demonstrated by the participation of Fiat’s Autonomy Programme, as Main Sponsor, in the last two "Disabled Alpine Skiing World Cup"events, the “2008 Disabled Italian Skiing Championships", the 2008 Wheelchair World Tennis Cup, in addition to being an official partner of the 9th Winter Paralympic Games in Turin 2006 as well as the 2007 sponsorship of the World Handbike Championships and the European Ice Sledge Hockey Championships.