... and that's it.
Fans of Abarth, the performance-tuning arm of Italian marque Fiat, are an immensely patient bunch. After being made to wait over a year for the latest facelift model (which finally landed in October last year), they flocked to showrooms to pick up the newest hot-hatch with the Scorpion badge. On the back of an over-300% sales increase since last September, the brand has seen it fit to update the 595 range with… a new radio.
Okay, “radio” might be a bit mean. It’s actually a new 7-inch Uconnect infotainment screen, scrummaged from the Fiat-Chrysler parts bin, which adds voice command, and smartphone mirroring across the range. This should be a boon for buyers, as it seems that the funky performance hatch can now offer proper (electronic) funk inside, too.
“The repositioning of the Abarth 595 late last year delivered customer demand that far exceeded expectations. Clearly, the revised product specification and sharpened pricing has resonated with hot-hatch buyers. A bonus if this demand is that we’ve managed to secure additional production support from the factory, which should improve delivery times. Further, we are excited to be in a position to further enhance the 595 with the addition of a larger touchscreen featuring both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.” — Fulvio Antonelli, Brand Director, Abarth Australia
The 595 range remains as before though, with an entry-level 595 packing 108kW and 206Nm, whereas the 595 Competizione offers a more hair-raising 132kW and 205Nm. Both cars remain available in fixed-top and drop-top guises.
For more information on Abarth, check out our Showroom.
