Banking on the success of its new 500 hatch, Fiat plans to enhance the small car’s range with a variety of new models within the next two years according to Autoweek.
The first new addition to arrive in North America is the Abarth, the sportiest version of Fiat’s city car that’s already available in Europe. The Abarth 500 is powered by a highly-tuned 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder delivering 180HP and 300 Nm (221 lb-ft) of torque.
The diminutive (3,657 mm / 144-in. length) hatchback sports an aggressive bodykit, stiffer suspension, an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, and 17-inch alloy OZ wheels.
The second addition to the range is a pure electric 500 that will be available next year. Fiat has teased the new model with the 500 BEV Concept at the Detroit Motor Show in 2010, but didn’t reveal any specific details about the powertrain.
The EV 500 is being developed mainly by Chrysler at its Technical Center in Auburn Hills, which has undertaken all work for electric vehicles in the Fiat Chrysler alliance. The 500 EV will be powered by a lithium-ion battery jointly developed by Samsung and Bosch.
During the presentation of the 500 BEV Concept, the company’s CEO Sergio Marchionne had revealed that it’s price would be double that of the standard 500 at around $32,000, with the battery pack accounting for half of that price.
Marchionne said it the pure electric model is not overpriced since Fiat will lose almost $10,000 for every 500 EV that it sells. However, it will produce the car in limited numbers in order to boost its eco-friendly image as well as lower its corporate average CO2 emissions.
A fifth, and rather unexpected, addition to the range which at the time will already include a 3-door hatch, the 500C convertible, the sporty Abarth and the zero-emissions EV, will be a five-door crossover model.
Said to be launched in 2013, it will be based on a larger platform, but will still bear the 500 moniker. The high-riding 500 will most likely debut as a concept, at next year’s Geneva Motor Show in March with the production model to be built at Fiat’s new plant in Serbia.
Story source: Autoweek
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