Official: 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth

Fiat released an official image of the 500 Abarth a  while back and now we have even more images and official specs to digest.

The 500 Abarth will, as speculated, use a 1.4 litre Multi-Air engine that is both intercooled and turbocharged to 160 horsepower. 16 inch wheels are standard with 17′s optional (it’s also optional to have them painted either white or black) along with an upgraded rolling stock, suspension and brakes.

Inside you’ll fine highly bolstered bucket seats, a flat bottomed thick rimmed steering wheel, turbo boost gauge, shift light and sat-nav.

No price has been mentioned yet which I suspect will be the main factor of whether 500 Abarth sales keep an upward trend. And you know Fiat 500 Abarth vs. Mini Cooper S comparos are just itching to get underway so this should make for a very interesting segment.

Head over to Autoblog for more pics.

[Fiat]

Fiat 500 Abarth Confirmed for Canada

The adorable Fiat 500 has officially been on sale in Canada for a few months now and is selling relatively well. And while the little Italian bug is fairly impressive in its current form, it’s leaving us performance enthusiasts begging for a hotted up version like Mini has with the John Cooper Works edition of the Mini Cooper. Abarth is Fiat’s main tuning company and they are mostly famous for injecting performance in the 500. Fiat has hinted for a while that the 500 Abarth will come to Canada, but now it’s officially confirmed.

There are few details about what the North American version of the Abarth 500 will look like, but it’s confirmed that a new 1.4 litre MultiAir turbocharged 4 cylinder will be the unit of choice from Abarth. It’s estimated that it will produce anywhere between 130 horses to 160. That may not sound like a lot but considering the 500’s size and weight, there will be no shortage of elevens it could produce on the tarmac. In addition, the 500 Abarth will get upgraded brakes, a fully revised suspension along with a host of performance enhancing technologies complete with a more aggressive look. The pic above is what our North American version will look like.

The 500 Abarth will officially make its North American debut at the LA Auto Show this year and we’ll likely have a better sense of the specs then.

In addition to the Abarth, there will be three other versions of the 500 that will be made available for Canada: a cabriolet, a five door and an all-electric three door.

[Fiat]

This is More Like It, Chrysler

Instead of pushing pink Challengers, this is the type of product you should be investing your time in if you really want to get your brand out of the gutter.

The adorable little Fiat 500 is reported to be coming to Canadian shores at the end of this year as a 2011 model, though it could be badged as a Chrysler, or more likely as a Dodge. That’s okay though, whatever it takes to get it here.

This car is immensely popular in Europe as it is fun to drive, cheap to own and buy and great on gas. With Ford’s Fiesta, the Mazda2 and King of the Hill Honda Fit, Chrysler is going to need a product like the 500 to truly be competitive in one of the fastest growing segments in our market.

It’s unlikely that the Abarth version (pictured above) will make it to our shores, sadly enough. But again, we’ll take whatever iteration of the 500 we can get at this point.

Hit the jump to watch the 500 Abarth SS review by our idol Jeremy Clarkson

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