1957: Steyr-Puch 500, Modell Fiat

Starting in 1953, the growth of the Austrian economy accelerated, heralding modest prosperity: many Austrians (which included only a smattering of women) owned motorcycles, but the desire for a “people’s car” (“Volksauto”) became more concrete. The expansion of the Austrian steel industry and the hope for jobs merged with the nation's increasing desire for its own car. Preliminary designs from the Steyr planning office proved to be lacking in quality so they fell back on a cooperation with FIAT. The result was the Steyr-Puch 500, Modell FIAT.

For the Puch 500 to become an Austrian car, a cylinder flat engine (boxer engine) was installed, which guaranteed the car’s ability to ascend mountains, and an extendable roof was added, which rendered the Fiat 500 Nuova a four-seater. The factory in Graz-Thondorf was rebuilt at a cost of 100 million schillings, and produced about 60,000 models between 1957 and 1972; the planned annual output of 15,000 cars was never reached. The rapid rise of interest in automobiles, which quickly tended toward middle class cars, had been underestimated. The German Volkswagen became Austria’s national car, while the Pucherl remained the symbol of the small state.