The Ritmo was manufactured at the Cassino plant using a system developed by its subsidiary Comau, the "Robogate" system – which automated the bodyshell assembly and welding process using robots, giving rise to its advertising slogan "Handbuilt by robots", immortalised in a television advertising campaign showing the robots assembling the Ritmo bodyshells to the strains of Rossini's "The Barber of Seville". The exterior has plastic bumper fascias integrated into the styling which combined strong round shapes with overall sharp lines, achieving a . The plastic bumpers also resisted damage from impacts of speeds of up to .