In Pixar's Cars, what type of car is Luigi, the owner of the town tire shop?

In Pixar's Cars, Luigi, the owner of the town tire shop, is a 1959 Fiat 500.

Luigi runs Luigi's Casa Della Tires in Radiator Springs and is one of the town's most enthusiastic residents. He is particularly passionate about Ferrari racing, a detail that becomes important when Michael Schumacher appears near the end of the film. Luigi's Italian identity and small proportions are part of his character design.

The Fiat 500, also called the Cinquecento, was a compact Italian car introduced in 1957. Its small size made it practical for crowded European streets and helped it become an icon of postwar Italy. Luigi's 1959 model therefore fits both his nationality and his cheerful, compact appearance.

Luigi is sometimes mistaken for a Volkswagen Beetle because both cars have rounded shapes. They are different models from different manufacturers: the Fiat 500 is Italian, while the Beetle was developed by Volkswagen in Germany.