Manzù realised a number of projects for interior decoration and started collaborating with several international publications, writing articles and making designs in the automotive field.

An example is the Cronotime table clock, that resembles the exhaust pipes or cooling water hoses of a car engine, and was originally made in 1966 as a giveaway for Fiat customer relations.

[19][20] At Fiat Styling Center, Dante Giacosa at first was hesitant about the newly hired consultant Manzù's ability to fit in with the strict procedures of industrialisation of a product design.

[21] In 1968, the first experience, however, lead to the execution of a concept car for the use as taxi, on the mechanical basis of the Fiat 850 and with cutting-edge technical and styling solutions that Manzù had already developed at Autonova.

[24] Pio Manzù never saw the result of his French museum judging job, his conceptual idea for the Parentesi lamp or his important project at the Fiat Styling Center.

In fact, he was on his way to the presentation of the final Fiat 127 mock-up to the top management, in May 1969, when he had a one-sided car accident on the A4 autostrada Milan-Turin, near the toll booths of the Brandizzo exit, just 10 km before reaching Turin.