Did Fiat just reveal the new 500T in its new commercial?

Zach Bowman — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Fiat

Fiat may have given us all an early glimpse of its upcoming 500T in a new ad. The Italian automaker has just released a new one-minute commercial called "Immigrants" showing a flotilla of submarine 500 models working their way from Italy to New York via the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Once the quirky little hatches show up on U.S. shores, something interesting makes an appearance. A 500 wearing Abarth body lines and Sport trim wheels comes rocketing around a corner.

We've heard plenty of buzz about a new 500T model designed to slot below the Abarth in the 500 stable, but it's unclear exactly what that machine will look like when it bows. It's entirely possible the commercial's producers simply had to swap a set of wheels after an incident on set and that this isn't what it seems to be, but we're guessing it's an intentional split-second teaser. Either way, it's worth taking a closer look at the video below.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents revealed in early April that Fiat is planning to flesh out its 500 line, and that new model called the 500T Sport was part of that mix. Details have been scarce since then, but a model with Abarth-like power and a slightly lower profile would seem to make some sense, as there's a pretty decent $pread between a base $15,500 500 Pop and the $22,000 Abarth.

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Did Fiat just reveal the new 500T in its new commercial? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gov't. documents suggest Fiat readying 500T turbo and Abarth convertible

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Hatchback, Fiat

According to a report from Car and Driver, documents submitted to the California Air Resources Board and to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration both point to a new arrival in the Fiat 500 line: a turbocharged hatch called the 500T Sport. The NHTSA document was a key for decoding a car's VIN, the "500T Sport" moniker appearing in the Series classification. The CARB paperwork approved California's certification of a boosted 1.4-liter engine for an unnamed Fiat product, along with the the Dodge Dart and 500 Abarth, which use the same engine.

There is currently a 59-horsepower spread between the 500 and the 500 Abarth, as well as a $6,500 difference in MSRP, which is a chasm offering plenty of space to mine a middle model.
C/D figures the 500T Sport will put out something around 130 hp and debut sometime over the next year, and a fan site, Fiat500USA, has found pics of what might be the car we'll get.

Gov't. documents suggest Fiat readying 500T turbo and Abarth convertible originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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