Fiat 500 Abarth will not be localized

Reports have been doing the rounds of the automotive fraternity about Fiat planning to start local production of the 500 Abarth soon. But we found out that it will not be the case. A reliable source from the company confirmed that the 500 doesn't need to be locally produced and it won't be either, in the near future.

Fiat announced at the Auto Expo that they will be launching 4 new cars this year which include the facelift Linea, facelift Punto, the Avventura compact SUV and the 500 Abarth.

Nagesh Basavanhalli, president and managing director, Fiat Chrysler India Operations, had made it quite clear that the 500 Abarth will not be localized but for some odd reason no one paid attention to that statement. Fiat will still import the 500 as a CBU and the Abarth kit too that goes into the car will be imported. The company said that they will be localizing something but those plans were not disclosed.

In fact what Mr. Basavanhalli wanted to make clear is that the Abarth kit, which will be imported, will make its way into a car that is manufactured at the company's Ranjangaon plant. We put two and two together and figured out that the Abarth kit will make its way into the Punto, thus giving birth to the Grande Punto Abarth.

We expect the announcement to come soon but what Fiat needs to do now is improve that product portfolio which has been stagnant from the year they arrived. The Avventura compact SUV is the beginning of the big plan charted for India. Let's hope there is a lot more in the pipeline.