Hot 500 puts out 160bhp - New 500 Abarth costs ￡13.5k, packs 135bhp (or 160bhp if you're quick enough)

摘要

FIAT HAS RELEASED full details of the Abarth 500, the latest development in the rebirth of the Abarth brand. The baby hot hatch, which uses a 135bhp 1.4-litre four-cylinder engine, will go on sale in the UK in January next year for around ￡13,500. This is not just a 500 with some Abarth badges; like the Punto Abarth, it's very much a model in its own right, featuring new technology designed to improve the car's on-road behaviour. To help counteract torque steer, the Abarth 500 uses Fiat's -Torque Transfer Control system, which applies the brakes to cut wheelspin. Fiat claims the 500 is the only car in its class to use a system like this.