Paris 2010: 2011 Fiat Punto Evo Abarth EsseEsse is one fierce Scorpion

If you like the Fiat Punto, you'll love the Punto Evo. And if you love the Evo, the Abarth Punto Evo will make you quiver. So we're not exactly sure what this Abarth Punto Evo EsseEsse is going to do to you – you may just faint. First shown at this year's Geneva Motor Show, the Abarth-tuned version of the Punto Evo debuted, offering a bit more oomph, more aggressive styling and even better handling and braking. At the 2010 Paris Motor Show, the Scorpion brand brought us even hotter versions of both, and we're very glad it did.

Wearing a Campovolo Gray paint scheme with white accents – and carrying that EsseEsse tag – this Punto gets a slight boost in power and a variety of upgrades to match. Output is now a full 180 horsepower, which is enough for a 7.5-second dash to 62 miles per hour. Additionally, top speed rises to 134 miles per hour.

That gray color might look familiar to you if you've ever seen an Italian warplane. The color is named after the airfield across the road from the company's historic headquarters in Turin. Inside, the EsseEsse gets "Abarth Corse by Sabelt" seats in black leather and Blue&Me sat-nav. The Punto also features an array of upgrades to the suspension, brakes, rolling stock and more.

Paris 2010: 2011 Fiat 500C Abarth EsseEsse packs quite a punch

At this year's Geneva Motor Show, Abarth-tuned versions of the Fiat 500C and Punto Evo debuted, adding some cajones to the cute-as-a-bug Fiat 500C and the no-less-lovable Punto. Now, at the Paris Motor Show, the mark of the Scorpion brought us even hotter versions of both, and our reaction was that the difference between 500C, Abarth 500C and Abarth 500C EsseEsse is much more than just shades of gray.

Wearing a gray-on-gray paint job and carrying the EsseEsse postscript – Italian for "SS" – the Abarth 500C gets a substantial boost in output and a variety of upgrades to match. In the case of the 500C, it picks up 22 tiny ponies under its curved bonnet to bring the total to 160 horsepower. That's good for a 7.6-second sprint to 62 miles per hour. Perhaps not record-breaking, but just look at it; cute as a button and pretty darn quick.

The EsseEsse also features an array of upgrades to the suspension, brakes, rolling stock and more, plus Blue&Me connectivity and Record Monza exhaust.

Detroit 2010: Fiat 500 BEV and Fiat 500 Abarth SS are in the house

The tiny Italians are coming! That's right gentle readers, Fiat has dropped two little baby 500s off inside COBO Hall – and one of them's electric. Let's start with that one, the uninspiringly titled Fiat 500 BEV (background). The suffix stands for "Battery Electric Vehicle." Let's call it truth in advertising. The powertrain is carried over from the work Chrysler's now defunct ENVIgroup had been working on for the past couple years. We can't say too much more (hint, hint), but rumor has it that this sucker is fast. Also, no tail pipe(s).

Fast is good, however, and the Cinquecento that sets our hearts all a flutter is (obviously) the 500 Abarth SS. Or as they say in Italy, Abarth Esse Esse. That last part of the name is significant, as it indicates this particular 500 doesn't have 133 horsepower, but rather 160 hp. The beauty part? After standing next to the Abarth for a few moments it becomes uncomfortably obvious that its much smaller than the Mini. Meaning... all sorts of wonderful things.

Other than that, the Abarth SS has five-point harnesses tied into racing seats and perhaps the best badging in the industry. Scorpions are every where. Take a close look at the shot of the wheel. Not only does the center cap sport a scorpion, but the valve-stem cap does, too. It's all about sweating the small stuff. Lusting over it, too. No specific information is available on the time line/likelihood of either car ever showing up in a Chrysler dealer near you.

Fiat 500 to launch in the U.S. with Abarth performance model

With every passing week comes another report of how Fiat and Chrysler will be sharing products. If it's not Chrysler-badged Lancias then it's Lancia-badged Chryslers or an Alfa-badged Jeep. As for the Fiat division itself, the emerging strategy appears to be to bring the 500 retro-mini over and set it up as something of a brand of its own, with sights set squarely on BMW's Mini and forgoing the rest of the Fiat line-up.

Earlier reports indicated that we'd be getting four versions of the 500 Stateside, including basic hatch, cabrio and upcoming wagon in addition to the Abarth performance model. But rather than start with the basics and work its way up, or launch the entire range simultaneously, the latest news suggests that Fiat is preparing to hit U.S. soil running by starting off with the 500 Abarth. According to WardsAuto, the Fiat 500 Abarth – complete with 133-horsepower turbocharged four, upgraded suspension and all the sporty touches that make an Abarth an Abarth – will arrive at Chrysler dealers in 2011 with an $18,000-$19,000 price tag. Fiat reportedly targets selling 20,000-25,000 units of the 500 Abarth in the first year.

By the time the 500 Abarth arrives, we'll likely be looking at an updated version with even more oomph. With the standard hatch, the open-top 500C and the upcoming Gardiniera wagon expected to follow, there's no telling if the initial model will be the only Abarth on offer, or whether Fiat will follow up with the even hotter EsseEsse version (pictured above), racing models like the Assetto Corse or R3T, an Abarth convertible or specials like the 695 Tributo Ferrari or an Opening Edition of our own.

[Source: WardsAuto.com]

Fiat Punto Evo 2010

Fiat Punto Evo 2010

Fiat Punto Evo 2010 Interior

Fiat has released details about the Fiat Punto Evo, the evolution of the Grande Punto, will make its debut at the next Frankfurt Motor Show. The Fiat Punto Evo comes with a wide choice of Euro 5 engines, including a 1.3 second generation Multijet diesel and a 1.4 petrol engine with the revolutionary MultiAir technology developed by Fiat Powertrain Technologies and eventually to be incorporated in all Fiat Group engines.

The new Punto Evo also offers Start&Stop, the system that switches off and restarts the engine in stop-and-go traffic. Start&Stop is being introduced as standard on all Euro5 petrol and diesel engines. Another system making its first appearance on the Punto Evo is “Blue&Me-TomTom”, the new portable satellite navigation unit that lets you manage telephone, navigation and information functions on a practical colour touch-screen.

Tags: diesel engine, Fiat, fiat powertrain, Fiat Powertrain Technologies, Fiat Punto Evo, frankfurt motor show, petrol engine, powertrain technologies, Punto Evo, TomTom

Frankfurt 2009: Fiat Punto Evo

Ah, the Fiat Punto: never quite what it pretends to be. Supposedly designed to look like a Maserati in hatchback form, the existing model was called the Grande Punto when it was anything but. And now the Italian automaker has launched an updated version and dropped the Grande tag for the vaunted name Evo... for a budget hatchback. Set aside the aspirational naming scheme, though, and what you have is a strong-selling vehicle that's put Fiat back on the map.

Visually, the updated Punto Evo gets new bumpers and lights front and rear, a new grille, and a handful of modern touches. Under the hood, Fiat Powertrain Technologies has slotted in its latest MultiAir engine range (showcased in the MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde), while the interior has been extensively updated to the inclusion of a new Blue&Me infotainment system developed with Microsoft and Tom Tom.

While the new Punto Evo hardly ranks among the myriad of European hatchbacks which – Chrysler or no Chrysler – we wish would make the journey across the Atlantic, it's sure to flood the streets abroad in no time. We stopped by to have a look and snap some photos of the new model and the models adorning it at Fiat's comically childish show stand here in Frankfurt

Frankfurt 2009: Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari

The battle has been raging since time immemorial. From Point A to Point B, which is faster: a big exotic supercar or a nimble li;' hatch? Fiat's two performance divisions, Abarth and Ferrari, ask why you can't have the best of both worlds with the new Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari.

The special-edition 500 packs a 180+hp 1.4-liter 16-valve turbo four, a retuned suspension, paddle-shift transmission, 17-inch rims, Brembo brakes and unique touches in every nook and cranny of the diminutive retro hatchback, from the Sabelt seats and Jaeger instruments to the 430 Scuderia paintjob and carbon fiber everything. It's a package that punches far above its weight, but we're waiting for our invitation to flog it around Fiorano against the new 458 Italia.