Fiat wants to boost Abarth sales significantly by adding new models to the high-performance lineup.
Despite offering just two uptuned variants of the 500 hatchback, Automotive News says Abarth is on track to sell 10,000 cars worldwide this year. Next year, that number is expected to grow as Fabrizio Simoni, Abarth’s top marketing exec, says the division wants to add high-performance variants of the 500X and the newly launched 124 Spider.
“We want to keep growing and stabilize at a certain level,” Abarth head Paolo Gagliardo said. Right now, 300 Fiat dealerships across the globe are equipped to sell Abarth models. Gagliardo wants to boost that number to 750, but didn’t specify an exact time frame.
The timing of the 124 and 500X Abarth are still under wraps. Gagliardo said we’ll see one of the vehicles launch next year, but didn’t specify which one. Technical details are still unknown, but the 500X is rumoured to receive a less powerful variant of the Alfa Romeo 4C’s 1.75-litre turbo-four.
As for the 124 Spider, expect to see a more powerful version of the existing 1.4-litre turbo-four under the hood. North American-spec 124 Spiders pump out 160 horsepower and 184 lb.-ft. of torque; the Abarth version is rumoured to push past the 200 horsepower mark. Fiat is also planning to re-enter rally racing with the 124 Abarth.
