- Abarth 695 Tributo Maserati
- New Abarth 500 range: Abarth 595 “Turismo” and Abarth 595 “Competizione”
- Abarth Punto Scorpione
- 2012 sporting programmes
- Make it your race 2012
“A world of performance since 1949”: Abarth at the 82nd International Geneva Motor Show
Abarth is appearing at the Geneva Motor Show with a spectacular stand, where road-going cars and world previews are being presented to lend emphasis – once again – to the brand’s unique position on the world motoring stage.
The stand represents a “road to performance” which connects two distinct but coexisting spirits in the world of Abarth: the more purist sports spirit rooted in the world of competition and racing, the perennial foundation of the brand’s values, and the more elegant, refined spirit which expresses a concept of sports which is more exclusive and oriented towards the world of the “Gran Turismo”.
The journey starts from the authentic, pure sports character of the new Abarth Punto Scorpione, a Limited Edition dedicated to all those who love to pit themselves against every challenge, in the constant search for speed and performance.
Another milestone on the “road to performance” is the new Abarth 595, with a concept inspired by the historic 595 model that Karl Abarth presented in 1963 as a variation on the Fiat 500: it represents the return to the concept of tuning, which enhances the performance features of a “basic” car, offering a power upgrade to 160 HP as standard. The new Abarth 595 expands the Abarth 500 product range and bears the brand’s two spirits in its two customisation options: “competizione” and “turismo”. The first is dedicated to race lovers, who love sportiness without compromise, whereas the second is dedicated to all trend-setters who love a marriage of comfort, elegance and sport. These three display models “race” along a platform coated with a special resin that evokes the atmosphere of a road – the ideal road for those who rise to the challenges in their everyday lives, in a constant search for “everyday performance”.
The concept of “sportiness with elegance” represented by the “turismo”-customised 595 finds its ultimate expression in the last car making its international début at this Motor Show: the brand-new Abarth 695 “Tributo Maserati”, a genuine Gran Turismo convertible and special, limited and numbered series which celebrates Italian excellence, attention to detail and technological innovation which two brands like Abarth and Maserati express perfectly. Two historic brands which contributed, with passion and dedication, to the birth of Italian racing history and culture.
The four cars on show make their contribution to the established success of the brand, which once again reached its predetermined targets for the year. In the course of 2011, almost 10,000 cars have been sold. The contribution of the Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari has also been significant. Between its launch in July 2008 and today, more than 1500 cars have been delivered. These figures contribute to confirming the excellent results the brand has recorded since its relaunch to date. Suffice it to say that since 2008 the brand has grown non-stop, as about 39,000 Abarth Punto and Abarth 500 cars sold, plus more than 10,000 performance kits for the two models, demonstrate.
This commercial success was also possible thanks to the extraordinary network of dealers and official tuning shops, a phenomenon which is unique in its field and which, after branching out into new markets such as Finland and South Africa in 2011, will forge further ahead into other new markets such as Morocco and Ukraine in 2012. Following the great success of its presentation at the LA Auto Show, the Abarth 500 will also be launched on the US market in March.
Finally, the Geneva Motor Show is the perfect stage for presenting the 2012 Abarth sporting programme. The formula adopted in conceiving the trophies this year as well was intended to make the cost of entering the competitions extremely accessible, a concrete example of “democratising” races in the true spirit of the Scorpion. And, in line with this concept, Abarth isn’t missing the opportunity to present the 2012 edition of “Make it your race”. With a new, international format, this year it offers those aged 18–40 the chance to live out a dream, to take to the track in a genuine Trofeo Abarth 500 race.
