Photo: Virtuel-Car
If you were to explain the automotive industry to somebody who's never seen a car, he'd say we're all crazy. First, we take a normal car and raise it off the ground to make it into a crossover, after which it's brought back down to earth to make a sports crossover.
Regardless, the Fiat 500X Abarth makes about as much sense as the BMW X5 M or the Mercedes GLA 45 AMG. So we're not going to blame the Italians for wanting part of the action.
In an era where most companies are going for boring but efficient hybrid tech, Fiat and Chrysler have kept things simple without electronic witchcraft. Abarth is even better, as their little toys are loved by millionaires who own Ferraris and Lamborghinis.
The 500X Abarth has reportedly already approved for development. When entering production, it's likely to be equipped with some version of the 1.8-liter turbocharged engine found under the bonnet of the Alfa Romeo 4C and Giulietta.
We say that because the regular 500X model is already available with a 1.4-liter turbo like the one used by the 500 Abarth.
Being a sports crossover, the 500X Abarth will compete with the Nissan Juke Nismo RS, which makes uses of a 1.6-liter turbo delivering 217 hp. The MINI Countryman Cooper S also has a 1.6 with forced induction, but it's going to be replaced wit a bigger 2-liter mill when the next-gen Countryman arrives.
Today, we're going to show you a couple of renderings where the 500X Abarth takes center stage. Some of the rugged plastic body panels have been removed by Virtuel Car, the result being a track-focused little car.
Being less than 4.3 meters in length, the Fiat 500X Abarth will be the size of a Golf GTI. However, the price of this car could be considerably more than that of the German machine. You see, Abarth technology is expensive to start with, while a full-spec Italian crossover already costs as much as a German hot hatch. Which makes you wonder why somebody would ever buy the Fiat instead of a performance hatch with almost four decades of history behind it.
In an era where most companies are going for boring but efficient hybrid tech, Fiat and Chrysler have kept things simple without electronic witchcraft. Abarth is even better, as their little toys are loved by millionaires who own Ferraris and Lamborghinis.
The 500X Abarth has reportedly already approved for development. When entering production, it's likely to be equipped with some version of the 1.8-liter turbocharged engine found under the bonnet of the Alfa Romeo 4C and Giulietta.
We say that because the regular 500X model is already available with a 1.4-liter turbo like the one used by the 500 Abarth.
Being a sports crossover, the 500X Abarth will compete with the Nissan Juke Nismo RS, which makes uses of a 1.6-liter turbo delivering 217 hp. The MINI Countryman Cooper S also has a 1.6 with forced induction, but it's going to be replaced wit a bigger 2-liter mill when the next-gen Countryman arrives.
Today, we're going to show you a couple of renderings where the 500X Abarth takes center stage. Some of the rugged plastic body panels have been removed by Virtuel Car, the result being a track-focused little car.
Being less than 4.3 meters in length, the Fiat 500X Abarth will be the size of a Golf GTI. However, the price of this car could be considerably more than that of the German machine. You see, Abarth technology is expensive to start with, while a full-spec Italian crossover already costs as much as a German hot hatch. Which makes you wonder why somebody would ever buy the Fiat instead of a performance hatch with almost four decades of history behind it.
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