Abarth 500 by NOVITEC

Fiat tuning specialist Novitec has a new package for the Fiat 500 Abarth sport model.

For the outside, Novitec offers just a few sporting touches such as the new front spoiler and spoiler lip and the black-tinted lateral turn signals.

The real stuff goes on underneath, where Novitec provides several power options on the 500 Abarth's series 135 PS / 99 kW 1.4 liter T-Jet engine.

The first stage dials output up substantially to 164 PS / 121 kW. But the top offering takes the 500 Abarth to 212 PS / 156 kW and 325 Nm of torque (series 206 Nm).

The NOVITEC NT4-CORSE is the premium package and costs €3,016. It includes that maximum power boost which comes by means of a new turbocharger, an optimized air intake system with sport air filter, new injector nozzles, fuel pressure control, a sport exhaust system and some ECU tinkering.

The NT4-CORSE make the 500 Abarth good for a 0 to 100 km/h sprint time of 6.8 seconds and a top speed of 223 km/h.

To go with all that additional power, Novitec offers two suspension options. Novitec sport springs lower the ride height of the 500 Abarth by 35 mm. The Novitec stainless-steel sport suspension kit offers a height-adjustable ride.

Wheels on offer are 17 or 18 inch in diameter. The NOVITEC N10 single-piece, light alloy wheels come in size 7.5J x 17 and wrapped in 215/40/R17 tires; the 8J x 18 in 215/35/R18s.

Prices for a new set of wheels start at €1,106.

FIAT Palio 1.6 Sport: The king is dead!

The small car that started the ‘Hot Hatch’ concept in India with its 1.6-litre, 100 bhp petrol engine has met with a sad demise. FIAT has decided to pull the plug off the Palio to immediate effect for two primary reasons – lack of demand and the Palio’s incompatibility with the Bharat Stage IV norms. The Palio, since its launch in 1999 has offered a lot of goodies to its customers without making a huge hue and cry about the price. However, lack of a potent aftersales network and the low fuel economy had led to the last generation Palio to its downfall in a market like India. The Palio Stile did revive FIAT India to an extent, but the current success of the Grande Punto had put the Palio on the back-burner.

Until recently the car was only manufactured against order, but FIAT’s sudden decision has axed the hopes of prospective enthusiasts buying the car. One of our members, John Fernandez is one such unfortunate enthusiast who had his booking amount refunded to him by the company showroom after the car-maker’s harsh (yet practical) decision. We are only hoping now that the Palio’s demise will make way for a new car from the FIAT stables in Ranjangoan, that can lift of gauntlet and be a worthy heir to the ‘hot hatch’ concept.

Source: Motoroids

Fiat to launch a sportier Punto

Fiat Punto is undeniably the most beautiful car in its segment.The car looks elegant and it seriously turns more heads than a higher D-segment car too. It has a nice chassis too, which means good handling. And as now Fiat's service department is also managed by Tata, service shouldn't be an issue as it used to be. This means Punto should be a hit in India, like it is elsewhere.

But the sales figures tell a different story. Only 900 odd units were sold in the month of April this year. The irony of the situation is that the same car saved Fiat from bankruptcy in the International market. So what is stopping its prospective buyers and making them think over their decision again.

During a small survey carried out by a fellow Motorep it was found that the first sentence people say after driving the car is, “It is sluggish”.

Fiat also realised this and if guys at Autoholiks are to be believed, Fiat will be launching a new and sportier variant of the car called 'Punto Sports'. The car will be powered by the 1.3L Multijet engine that powers the Linea. The same engine, albeit in a more powerful avatar will produce 90bhp and around 205 Nm of torque.

The car will be given some visual treatment too. Remember they displayed an Abarth-Punto replica at the Auto-expo, Delhi earlier this year. Thats how the Punto Sport is going to look. Fatter tyres, better looking alloys, smoked headlamps and special leathers too and they might put a sunroof too is all the Sports is going to get. The Punto Sports will be dearer than the normal Punto. If Fiat prices it right, then they can easily get a good market share with this wonderful product of theirs. This might be not be as sporty as a petrol engined car would have been,nevertheless we will love to have this car in the market. Won't we? With this car they might be able to continue selling this car before they plan to launch the Punto-evo here, if they want to. The Sports will be launched in June this year as Punto completes 1 year in the market.

Two more variants of the Punto Launched!

Auto Major Fiat India, launched two more variants of its Grande Punto range- the Fiat 1.2 Fire Dynamic and Fiat 1.2 Fire Emotion, priced at Rs. 4.57 lakhs and Rs. 4.87 lakhs respectively. (ex- showroom Delhi.) Both these variants are par with the emissions norms of the BS4 and are expected to give a mileage of 15.2 kilometers to a litre.

Apart from the standard goodies which comes equipped in the Fiat Grande Punto, the 1.2 Dynamic variant will also offer rear power windows and central locking system. As an introductory offer, the 1.2 Dynamic will also come fitted with an exclusive CD/MP3 player for a period of one month. The 1.2 Emotion variant will have an integrated audio system with 4 speakers, electric mirrors, fog lamps, dual tone dashboard and split seats in addition to the above mentioned features of the 1.2 Dynamic.

The 1.2 Fire Dynamic and Emotion will be available in eight colours- Bossa Nova White, Exotica Red, Minimal Grey, Hip Hop Back, Medium Grey, Electric Blue, Fox Trot Azure and Tuscan Wine.

by Motoroids
 
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Compare the Top Movers & Shakers - Polo, Punto, Swift and Figo - Which one is for you?

With the B-segment flooding with offerings from various manufacturers, a war of hatchbacks to capture the market is just about to begin…


Click here to read the full analysis.

Never before in the Indian car industry have we seen such carnage in a segment. The B-segment is suddenly loaded with quality contenders which not only boast great engineering and features, but incredible pricing as well.

Fiat 500 by Novitec

The new Fiat 500 may be Car of the Year, but Novitec can always find a way to improve on things like performance and exclusivity when it comes to Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and of course Fiat.

Starting with the engines, Novitec has taken the 1.3 liter JTD turbo-diesel to 83 hp / 61 kW from its stock 70 hp / 51.5 kW, reducing its 0-100 km/h sprint time to 11.9 seconds and raising its top speed to 165 km/h. All this is possible through a plug-and-play control module available for just Euro 335.

The 1.4 liter 16-valve petrol engine receives a supercharger, boosting its output to 131 hp / 96.4 kW while torque increases from 131 Nm to 172 Nm. The nimble little engine can propel the Fiat 500 from 0 to 100 km/h in just 8.8 seconds while its top speed is 198 km/h.

Novitec also offers a stainless steel exhaust with either one or two exhaust tips, a front apron with spoiler and additional air dams and 16 or 17 inch multi-spoke wheels (up to 215/35 R 17 for front and rear) with matching suspension modifications. There are two option in regards to the suspension, either sport springs in combination with the production shock absorbers or a height-adjustable coil-over sport suspension set which can lower the car from 30 mm to 80mm.

Hamann Sportivo Based on Fiat 500

Coming somewhat as a surprise, renowned BMW tuning house Hamann have revealed a tuning package for the new Fiat 500. Labelled as the Sportivo the new tuning program took the Hamann engineers into unchartered territory which they duly responded with a lot of joy and enthusiasm. However, even though the end product may look good at first glance, the engineers have failed to put the same effort into this model as we have seen on many of their previous tuning programs.

The German tuner starts with a new set of 17 inch alloy rims and the chassis is lowered by 30mm leading to improved handling and drivability. Further peformance upgrades include a new sport exhaust system devised especially for the 1,4 litre petrol engine providing a thrilling soronous sound and a sports braking system for improved deceleration. The 1,3 Multijet 16V is treated to a power increase of 15hp taking the total up to 90hp by re-programming the integrated control unit.

Interior modifications are limited to an embroidered Hamann sportive logo and a set of aluminium pedals.

Press release:

Normally HAMANN-Motorsport is renowned as a tuning company for BMW and for refining sinfully expensive luxury cars. But sometimes the Laupheim-based technicians move off the beaten tracks and devote themselves to something completely unexpected – in this case the Fiat 500. The HAMANN-technicians started with a lot of joy and enthusiasm for the cool little retro sports car and developed the extensive HAMANN sportivo–tuning programme. Striking 17-inch rims and a lively flag pattern optically emphasize the racy character of this little Italian. The strong sound of the HAMANN-sport exhaust system for the 1,4 litre petrol car also underlines this acoustically. A performance optimization for the diesel model, progressive chassis springs and a newly-developed braking system round out the racy appearance and provide a speedy joyride.

The design wheel HM sportivo I stands for trendy mobile appearance and perfect handling. The matt black varnish rim in one piece has a diamond-polished outer edge and is offered in the size 7.0 x 17. HAMANN recommends matching tyres in the sizes 195/40 ZR17 or 215/34 ZR 17 by its technology partner Hankook. A complete wheel-set can be obtained from 1,420 €. The HAMANN-set for lowering chassis leads to a further improvement in handling the car and ensures that the vehicle centre which is made up from four progressively spun springs is lowered by 30mm.

The sport exhaust system which was especially devised for the 1,4 litre petrol car renders a thrilling sonorous sound. The system includes a muffler (from 390 € onwards) with two round end pipes made of high-grade steel (70 mm diameter), a pre-muffler with metal catalyst and a sport fan manifold. All components can also be obtained individually. Also for this model, HAMANN developed a stable sport braking system for improved deceleration values. The set consists of two perforated and ventilated brake discs (diameter 280 x 28mm) at the front axle in connection with red 4-piston fixed yokes and steal flex brake lines. The back axle can be upgraded with brake discs measuring 240 mm in diameter.

The increased performance by HAMANN costs 699 € for the 1,3 Multijet 16V Fiat 500 diesel model. After re-programming the integrated control unit, the motor renders up to 90 hp / 66 kW at 4,000 r.p.m. (series: 75 hp / 55 KW) and a maximum torque of 230 Nm at 1,750 r.p.m. (series: 145 Nm at 1,500 r.p.m.).

The aluminium pedal set including footrest and a car mat set with an embroidered HAMANN sportive logo accentuate the interior and perfect the Fiat 500 programme in a stylish way.

Fiat 500 Abarth coming soon

“With a strong sporty personality, the new car will be powered by a Fire 1.4 16v petrol Turbo engine, which delivers a maximum of 135 bhp (100kW) at 5,500 rpm and peak torque of 206Nm at 3,000 rpm in ‘Sport’ mode…” says Fiat with a straight face. Say what? Only 135 bhp? We waited so many months for a measly 135 horses? We must have been robbed.

See, previous generation Ford Focus used a 2.0-litre engine to generate a similar amount of buzz in the hood. So 135 seems impressive for a 1.4, albeit force-fed. But scratch under the skin a little and you’ll discover that 500 Abarth’s closest nemesis, MINI Cooper S, squats with 172 horses underneath her belly. Fact is, a region of 135 bhp hasn’t been made by a compact hot hatch since Fiesta ST came into power. That was during the middle ages.

Yes we are simply bowled over by the exceptionally stylish 500 Abarth with its smokey wheels, fat wheel arches and honeycomb mashed grille. It’s the stuff of legends even as it does not move. And when it moves, to 100km/h to be precise, over 8 seconds will go by. Compare this with Cooper S’s 7.3 odd and you start to ask questions like “will they make an even faster version”? They will.

As far as handling goes, Fiat has put to use a Torque Transfer Control system that hugs bends like your aunt used to hug you, promising handling that is highly entertaining. Perhaps I’m missing the point entirely here, perhaps 500 Abarth doesn’t care if the other kid is quicker off the block, or that he is better-endowed. Perhaps. Perhaps Abarth only cares that she can offer the best value entertainment for buck in her block, and believes that being a showstopper doesn’t necessarily involve a test of manhood.