Fiat India showcased the Abarth 500 at the 2014 Auto Expo earlier last month, announcing that it would launch the car by the end of this year. The launch of the Abarth 500 in India also launches the Abarth brand in the country, which was announced by Fiat back in 2012.
According to a report on Zig Wheels, Fiat India plans to launch the Abarth 500 during the festive season time of October-November this year. The report points to an estimated price of INR 22-24 lakhs for the performance hot-hatch.
The Abarth 500 is powered by a 1.4-liter T-Jet engine producing 135-140 hp (depending on the gearbox chosen) and 206 Nm of torque. The Abarth 500 accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 7.9 seconds and achieves a top-speed of 205 km/h.
Features such as gas discharge headlights, sunroof, cross drilled brake disc, sports seats, lowered suspension with up-rated springs, 17-inch alloy wheels, 7 airbags, turbo-boost gauge, twin exhaust outlets, ABS, EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution) and HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assistance), parking sensors, foglights and a Hi-fi music system would be seen on the Abarth 500.
The Abarth 500 will compete with the Mini Cooper (scheduled to undergo a full model change) in India. The initial units of the Abarth 500 will be imported into the country via the CBU (Completely Built-up Unit) route, though CKD (Completely Knocked Down) assembly is mentioned to take place at a later stage.
[Source - ZigWheels]
