The Fiat 500 Abarth is the more performance friendly version of the retro hatch and will be brought in as a CBU. Fiat has no plans to launch the regular 500 in India.
Bringing an end to its slew of products for this year, Fiat India will be launching the 500 Abarth in November. Showcased at the 2014 Auto Expo in February, the Fiat 500 Abarth is the performance tuned version of the retro 500 premium hatchback and will be locking horns with the likes if the MINI Cooper, Mercedes A-Class, BMW 1-Series, Volvo V40 in the segment. Expected to be sold in limited numbers, Fiat will be bringing the 500 Abarth as a Completely Built Unit (CBU) and it will be a huge brand builder for the Italian automaker.
Virtually unchanged, the Fiat 500 Abarth retains the iconic looks of the little hatchback that are further spruced up with new Abarth goodies. Differentiating the Fiat 500 Abarth from the regular 500 are the Abarth Scorpion badges that replace Fiat ones, while the Abarth decals at the sides are hard to miss. On the inside, the retro appeal continues with the two-tone dashboard, flat bottom steering wheel and comes loaded with all modern day creature comforts. In addition, you get sports seats, sunroof, parking sensors and 17-inch alloy wheels. The turbo boost gauge with gear shift indicator and twin-exhausts are a sporty touch.
Coming to the technical specifications, the Abarth tuned Fiat 500 is powered by a 1.4-litre MultiAir turbocharged petrol engine that produces 135 BHP of power and 230 Nm of torque, paired to a 5-speed manual transmission. Being the aggressive Scorpion that it is, 0-100 km/hr comes up in 7.9 seconds while the achievable top-speed is 205 km/hr. The 500 Abarth also comes with Torque Transfer Control (TTC) with an electronic limited slip differential that makes sure of optimum traction levels at all times. The car gets lowered suspension with up-rated springs, while stopping power comes from disc brakes at the front and rear. In terms of safety, the 500 Abarth is loaded with 7 airbags, ABS, EBD and HBA as standard.
The Fiat 500 Abarth will surely appeal to those who want to own an iconic piece of history without having to compromise on modern creature comforts. Being brought in as a CBU, the hot hatch is expected to be priced optimistically at around Rs. 25 lakhs (ex-showroom). Internationally, the 500 Abarth also comes with Essesse kit and Fiat could offer the same as an optional package with the car in our country. The success of the 500 Abarth could see more Abarth tuned models turn up on our shores in the future.
