Friday 21st September 2007

Branding It About

Abarth re-launched with its own brand new factory

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Taking Abarth promises to be much fun

After months of talking about it, Fiat has finally re-launched its Abarth brand. The Grande Punto Abarth has gone on sale in Italy this month, and good progress is being made on a completely new factory within the confines of Fiat’s Mirafiori plant.

The man charged with putting the sting back in the scorpion’s tail is Fiat’s ex-brand boss, Luca De Meo, who plans to create a stand-alone, design-led and very desirable business.

De Meo’s strategy is to give Abarth a world of its own, by splitting it into two, each with its own dedicated area in the new workshops.

On one side will be the motorsport programme, where Abarth will build cars for a one-make rallying series based on the Punto S2000 with the possibility of expanding this should the opportunity arise.

On the other, Abarth-branded performance kits will be pumped out for application on future Fiat models. Expect kits along the lines of the “esseesse” concept at Frankfurt, which was essentially the Abarth Grande Punto with an ECU tune up and bodykit. De Meo also reckons that Ferrari-style Abarth-branded merchandise will help to build the brand’s reputation.

[cooleo]

Please please make a 2.0 grande punto fiat, the 270 bhp rally version with 4 wheel drive. Could go head to head with the clio 2.0, ctr, astra vxr, focus st, ect.... That would really raise the profile of the fiat and make them cool and popular again, just like the Punto Gt Turbo and Coupe Turbo.

[ChristianZS]

cooleo said:

Please please make a 2.0 grande punto fiat, the 270 bhp rally version with 4 wheel drive. Could go head to head with the clio 2.0, ctr, astra vxr, focus st, ect.... That would really raise the profile of the fiat and make them cool and popular again, just like the Punto Gt Turbo and Coupe Turbo.

Who you talking to?

[cooleo]

Anyone who wants to listen really, i was just voicing my opinion really.

[ChristianZS]

Heh.. 270bhp in a Punto would cause a fair few accidents though! Ive never heard Fiat being renowned for safety!

[cooleo]

Well yer, but i think as a company they are getting better. They went a bit soft, for example the stilo 2.4 abarth. 2.4 20v, good on paper but only 170bhp, 8.2 0-60 and 134 top end. I'm sure fiat can make a "True hot hatch", but they screw it up oh so easily.

[vinceh]

I suspect that Abarth doesn't mean a lot to many PH readers, but, me being an old g1t, I remember some hairy little Fiats that had had the Abarth magic wand waved over them. I hope that the new generation of Abarth Fiats do justice to the name, and are not just Golf GT-style versions of cooking Fiats.

Edited by vinceh on Friday 21st September 17:51

[Nostrils]

http://www.worldcarfans.com/9070921.007/fiat-grand...

Could still do with some more aggressive styling at the back, certainly in the exhaust area....

I think 2008 is going to be the year of the Fiat with the 500 and Arbarth ranges bringing some nostalgic names back for those in their mid to late 30' and upwards who may have driven/owned one of the early models.....Do Fiat still have rust issues!!

[H2DaE]

ChristianZS said:

Heh.. 270bhp in a Punto would cause a fair few accidents though! Ive never heard Fiat being renowned for safety!

The GP is the safest car in it's class!

And I think it's great, even rumours of Abarth making their own models, including a small roadster based on the 500 chassis

[H2DaE]

Nostrils said:

Do Fiat still have rust issues!!

nope, pretty much anything that can be galvanised is

[peter450]

Could make for some interesting cars

[Addersuggs]

why did the panda 100hp not have 4 wheel drive? makeing a mini evo
and then it could have had more power 140bhp+ perhaps

[anonymous-user]

ChristianZS said:

Heh.. 270bhp in a Punto would cause a fair few accidents though! Ive never heard Fiat being renowned for safety!

One of the safest cars in its class 5* ncap

[ChristianZS]

I stand corrected

I must admit that iam rather taken by the new Abarth fiats..

[cooleo]

I'm waiting for the new fiat coupe, look at the Hyundai coupe - i reccon the new fiat will sell by the bucket loads, especially the abarth version.

[ChristianZS]

Yea, the recent Fiats are looking much better than the old round punto`s although the Uno turbo`s and the GT Punto`s were rather tasty

I hope the new fiat coupe will look rather ferrari`ish!

[Matron]

I'm saving up for the Abarth Fiat 500 as we speak ... oooooooooooohhhh

[ninjaboy]

I still miss my Bravo it was a great car, i hope fiat do start making some intresting cars now though.