Fiat 500 Abarth Bound for 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show

Fiat 500 Abarth Picture

The U.S. edition of the Fiat 500 Abarth will debut in November at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. | July 26, 2011| Fiat

Just the Facts:

• The U.S. edition of the Fiat 500 Abarth, a sporty version of the Fiat 500 that's designed to tone down the chick-car factor, will debut this November at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, according to Fiat.
• A Fiat spokesman told Inside Line on Monday that the Fiat 500 Abarth will hit U.S. showrooms in the first half of 2012.
• Fiat is accelerating the introduction of the Abarth scorpion badge to the U.S.

 

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan — The U.S. edition of the Fiat 500 Abarth, a sporty version of the Fiat 500 that's designed to tone down the chick-car factor, will debut this November at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, according to Fiat.
"The Abarth 500 model will make its debut at the Los Angeles auto show this November," wrote Jiyan Cadiz, a Fiat spokesman, in response to an e-mailed query from Inside Line on Monday. "It will retail in the first half of 2012. That's all we have announced to date."
Fiat USA announced via Twitter that the hot-rod version of the Fiat 500 was bound for the Los Angeles auto show.
Fiat executives have pledged that the 500 subcompact would not be pigeonholed as a "cute" car or a chick car. That lesson was driven home to Laura Soave, the head of Fiat North America and a former Volkswagen executive who closely observed the image of the Volkswagen New Beetle before its more masculine redesign.
In February, Soave told The New York Times that Americans would be introduced to the Abarth scorpion badge in 2013 — but that timetable has clearly been pulled ahead. The Fiat 500 Abarth is more than three years old, however. It was introduced at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show. The Abarth 500 is currently sold in other countries with a 135-horsepower turbocharged 1.4-liter. The U.S. version may get the new 135-hp 1.4-liter MultiAir engine featuring electronically controlled inlet valves.
Abarth was founded by the late Karl Abarth — who also went by Carlo. Abarth's scorpion badge is said to be a reference to Karl Abarth's astrological sign — Scorpio; he was born on November 15, 1908.
Abarth was a famed tuner of small Fiats and Simcas in Italy during the 1960s. Abarth versions of both the 500 and the Punto supermini are offered in Europe, and it's the tuned version of the Cinquecento (500) that will be offered in the U.S.

Ad of the Day: FIAT 500

The car of the future may be designed for tomorrow but fondly looks to yesterday for its sense of style.

That's the sense you get from this new spot for the Fiat 500, the brand's first TV commercial since it returned to the U.S. in March after an absence of a quarter century. The ad opens with footage of an original Fiat 500 heading to a drive-in movie in 1957, the year the Italian automaker introduced the model. As Elvis Presley's 1957 hit "Jailhouse Rock" plays, the Fiat becomes a 2012 model, as a voiceover says: "Every once in a while, something comes along so powerful in concept, so revolutionary in design, it becomes a cultural icon and defines a generation. Another icon has arrived,

 

That's a little overwritten, but it's clear what Fiat and Detroit ad agency Impatto are doing—imbuing the Fiat with both an authentic back story and a shiny new polish in a category fairly obsessed with nostalgia. The tagline, "Simply more," positions the model as a deceptively diminutive vehicle that hits well above its weight.
The client has spoken of traditional advertising as a necessary evil—the bigger goal is to get people to see and touch the vehicle in person. As such, the drive-in theme will extend to events, with Fiat planning to create "pop-up" drive-ins around the country where it will screen original versions of films that have since been remade. (They'll kick things off with a showing of the original Ocean's Eleven on the Jumbotron in Times Square on Aug. 19.) But the brand is balancing the retro vibe with aggressive new-media efforts and ultra-modern messaging, including an iPad app (see below) and a music video (also below, released in May) set in a Fiat factory and featuring a pulsating version of Vivaldi's Concerto in D Major, Rv 228: Allegro as remixed by a Los Angeles-based electronic band. Also notable: Fiat USA has almost 13,000 Twitter followers—many more than Scion or Mini—and 200,000-plus Facebook fans.
Print ads will feature headlines such as "Form & Function meet. And begin a torrid affair," "Bigger isn't better. It's just harder to park," and "On a scale from 1 to 10, it's a 500."
The car looks great across the various media, and the strategy—both in product development and advertising—seems solid. If you're going to dredge up the past, you'd better be properly engineered for the future.

Fiat Abarth to Hit US in 2012

When you ask most Americans what comes to mind when you say Fiat, one word consistently came up: "broken." Now with Fiat making a re- entrance behind their fantastic 500, feelings are changing. Although the Fiat 500 has only been on US soil for about a year, it is already gaining momentum like a blue whale rolling down a hill. It has just been announced that the long awaited Fiat 500 Abarth will make its American debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show and go on sale in the first half of 2012 . This is a huge move forward because according to Inside Line, the initial debut for the Abarth models was supposed to be introduced in the first half of 2013.

When this hot hatchback hits the market its major competitors will be the venerable VW Golf GTI and the Mini Cooper S. The angle that the Fiat successfully utilizes is that over the years both of its competitors have gone somewhat soft and strayed quite far from their roots. In the Fiat Abarth, the lineage is as clear as day and also adds a touch of warm nostalgic familiarity. As soon as your right foot hits the gas, a direct channel to your adrenal glads will be opened. The exhaust note from this peppy 1.4 liter engine reminds us of a little Boston terrier behind a fence, it sounds big but it’s really not. These primal signals will serve as a reminder of how a ’hot’ hatchback can enrich your life.

We adore the little Fiat. Its sense of style, presence, and plucky attitude make it a must have vehicle. This admiration will be multiplied with the Abarth version of this venerable Italian hatchback. The Fiat 500 Abarth serves as a case in point for automakers; in order to move forward, one must often look back.

2013 Fiat 500 AWD Spy Photos – Future Cars - Car and Driver Blog

2013 Fiat 500 AWD Spy Photos – Future Cars - Car and Driver Blog

The 2012 FIAT 500 has arrived in Tacoma

FIAT of Tacoma, a Seattle area FIAT dealer, would like to announce that the 2012 FIAT 500 has arrived at our Studio and is available to test drive and pre-order. It has been over thirty years since FIAT has been sold in the United States and FIAT of Tacoma is exciteded to offer such a great driving machine to its customers. With three available trims, the 2012 FIAT 500 will impress.

FIAT of Tacoma is part of the Universal Auto Group, which has a proven track record of success. Dealerships in the Universal Auto Group have a reputation for providing courteous and honest service and the FIAT of Tacoma Studio is no different.

Providing outstanding service and top-notch vehicles, FIAT of Tacoma proudly serves all of the Puget Sound, including Seattle, Kirkland, Bellevue, Vancouver and more FIAT 500 owners and shoppers. Soon to be open seven days a week, the leading FIAT of Tacoma Studio is conveniently located at 3740 South Tacoma Way Tacoma, WA 98409.

For more information about the stylish 2012 FIAT 500 visit our website http://www.fiatusaoftacoma.com/index.htm or call 800-NEW-FIAT today.