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If the song is true that “to everything, turn turn turn, there is a season, turn turn turn,” then we’re going to need a lot more seasons for the Fiat 500. In addition to versions by StudioTorino, Diesel and Abarth, not to mention a convertible and an F1-themed run of 12, Fiat is making a special edition 500 to celebrate the car’s appearance in the movie Lupin III: Green vs Red.

The Japanese anime film itself celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Lupin III series of movies, which began in 1979 when gentleman thief Lupin III used a yellow Fiat 500. While the film is out now on DVD, the special edition Fiat 500 in yellow livery and graced with Lupin’s image won’t come around until the latter half of 2009, and probably only in Japan. If Fiat keeps this up, it might just challenge the Ford Mustang for the title of Most Gratuitous Special Editions Differentiated by Inconsequential Details.

Starting today, Europeans will be able to order the Fiat 500 by DIESEL. Yes, we know the car’s already offered with a diesel, but we’re not referring to the MultiJet engine here. This is a two-year special run done in partnership with the Italian clothing company. This style exercise is supposed to transform the 500 into an ‘Urban Survival Vehicle.” Apparently, all that’s required for “urban survival” are some DIESEL logos, new trim on the bumpers and bodywork, exclusive wheels, three paint colors, and a dressed-up interior. 100-horsepower cars also get yellow brake calipers. Seeing as how 10,000 “by DIESEL” cars are planned, we have a feeling that the folks who really want one will find a way to get one. This isn’t exactly as limited as some other 500s we’ve seen lately. Thanks to A-rod for the heads-up.

Following the release of the first official photos back in July, we now have the initial specifications on the 2009 Ford Ka that will make its global debut at the Paris Motor Show in early October. The fresh-faced, all-new Ka that shares its platform with the Fiat 500 will be available in major European markets by late 2008/early 2009. The Ka will be produced at Fiat’s manufacturing plant in Tychy, Poland, sharing the production line with the Fiat 500 model.

Aside from the different styling compared to the Fiat 500, Ford supports that its own chassis engineering experts have tuned the suspension, steering, and chassis to deliver a more exciting or if you prefer, involving drive. Ford also says that during the engineering process, information was exchanged with the team developing the new Fiesta, and certain components, such as the tires, were jointly developed for both models.

Since its debut last year, the new FIAT 500 has been one of the most talked about small cars in Europe. Now people in Berlin can share their thoughts on the 500 with th everyone in the immediate vicinity. A pair of billboards installed near the former Checkpoint Charlie reflect the words of passers-by. Along with videos and other messages, the 3,100-square foot boards also invite viewers to send a text message to a special number. The messages then scroll across a 65-foot wide ticker on each board. Presumably the messages are moderated in some way (either human or automated) before they appear on the boards, otherwise this PR stunt could get very interesting.

[Source: Fiat]