Geneva motor show 2012: Fiat 500L

• Fiat 500L MPV revealed
• Car launched at Geneva show
• 500L to cost around £3000 more than 500

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The Fiat 500L has been unveiled at the 2012 Geneva motor show.

The 500L aims to blend improved practicality with enough of the trendy looks that have made the regular Fiat 500 such a hit.

See also: All Geneva motor show 2012 news

While the 500L has the iconic three digits on its badging, its size means it has more in common with the Fiat Punto .

It’s 4140mm long, 1780mm wide and 1660mm high, making it 590mm longer, 150mm wider and 170mm higher than a 500. Those dimensions mean it’s longer, wider and taller than the Citroen C3 Picasso.

The new model will be offered with Fiat’s 0.9-litre two-cylinder Twinair engine, a conventional four-cylinder 1.4-litre petrol engine or a 1.3-litre diesel. Transmissions are likely to be either a five-speed manual or Fiat’s Dualogic automated manual.

The L stands for light (it's engines are light on the environment), loft (lofty roofline, modern cabin) and link (because the new touch-screen, web-linked infotainment system helps you stay linked with the outside world).

The new model shares its name with the 500, but it won’t share its factory in Poland. Instead the 500L will be built at Fiat’s Serbian facility, in Kragujevac.

It’s not due in UK dealerships for a while, either; it won’t go on sale until the start of 2013.

Expect it to carry a premium of around £3000 over the comparable 500; that’ll bring its prices into line with those of its main rivals, including the C3 Picasso.

Iain Reid