Fiat 500C to receive Abarth make over
July 27, 2009 by Matt Brogan
Fiat is set to take on the likes of Mini’s JCW Cooper Cabriolet when it releases at least two Abarth versions of its upcoming 500C convertible.
The hot drop tops are said to be in the final stages of readiness with an expected European showroom debut some time in the first quarter of next year.
The canvas roof set up of the 500C has meant Abarth conversions were made rather simple as the car retains the three-door’s roof rails and pillars for strength but offers no folding hard-top which saves on weight.
The base model 500C Abarth will come with a sporty 99kW, 1.4-litre, turbocharged, four-cylinder though Fiat says the Abarth Essence model could feature a 117kW engine.
Like all Fiat 500 models, the 500C Abarth will be available with a myriad of customisation options and will be priced from the equivalent of A$31,835.00
The timing, or indeed likelihood, of Australian sales is yet to be confirmed. CarAdvice will keep you posted.
Print it: 
I can see it selling alright – maybe people who want actual power from their 500 – but when is it coming here? It annoys me that we get such crappy Fiats here, when the hell is the Panda/Panda 4×4/Panda 100HP coming here!? And what about the Qubo, Croma and Multipla (I hired one in Italy a few years back – it’s a really good car) as well as the Lancia Delta?
Fiat Aus need to pick up their model range if they want to sell some cars (but with the tossers at Ateco at the helms it’s no wonder why we get such crap).
Jake02, I think the reason why most of those cars aren’t here and are not coming is that Australians don’t want $25,000 1.3 diesel MPVs called Qubo, or $35,000 1.9 diesel MPVs called Multipla. The Multipla may be a good car, but it’s eleven years old and the Qubo isn’t getting good reviews. The Ritmo is selling terribly so I don’t know why they would bring the Croma which is basically a wagon version of the Ritmo, but on a less impressive platform.
As for the Panda, I think the problem there is that the quality is slightly dubious, it only gets a three star crash test and would probably end up starting at about $20,000 when it should only start at $15,000.
I think Fiat Australia have all the models that would sell here for now, but they definitely need to bring the Abarth cars here. I drove the Punto Abarth and it was great. I’d take one over a Clio RenaultSport or a Polo GTI any day.
It doesn’t matter if they wouldn’t sell (well, not to us anyway), I want more interesting products on sale here. The Ritmo should sell more yes but if they made them cheaper I reckon a few more would be sold. The Punto must sell the most for Fiat I see them way more than any other Fiats. The 500 is the most overpriced car on the market – a Mini is a better option. More exxy yes but it comes with more stuff and has a resonably proper engine.
Panda only got 3 stars because the one tested had the base 2 airbags – surely Australia would get 6 airbags with ESP as well. The Panda Eleganza 1.3JTD could be sold here for, say, 17k and I reckon they’d sell a few more than current levels. Yeah the Multipla maybe old, but it doesn’t look it and it’s just had a facelift too.
Fiat need bigger cars – that’s why I suggested the Croma/Qubo – around the world and Australia is one of the markets where bigger cars (mid-size hatch and up) sell in the biggest numbers. They should do a cheaper, lighter 159. Price it low 30’s and they’d do well! Although Italian cars need to be more reliable…
I reckon the front bumper on the Qubo is probably big enough to fit you in Jake02. I like the idea of an Abarth 500, but when is the rest of the Abarth cars getting here?