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Abarth 695 Tributo 131 Rally celebrates Fiat's rally history

Fiat's hugely entertaining 500 Abarth left the American market after the 2019 model year, but the plucky hot hatch is alive and well across the pond. It recently spawned a limited-edition model named 695 Tributo 131 Rally that honors Fiat's past successes on the rallying scene. It's all in the name: the Tributo 131 Rally is a tribute to the 131 Abarth, which won the World Rally Championship (WRC) in 1977, 1978 and 1980, and which was driven by highly-respected pilots like Walter Rohrl. The coupe was loosely related to the regular-production 131, which was briefly sold as the Brava in the United States. It's one of the most emblematic rally cars, and it raced for the last time 40 years ago. Although it's not as absurdly eye-catching as some of Abarth's previous limited-edition model, the 695 Tributo 131 Rally is easy to spot in a parking lot. It gets Blue Rally paint, Scorpion Black accents, an adjustable rear spoiler and 17-inch wheels. You should be able to hear it, too, thanks to a Record Monza Sovrapposto exhaust system. The 131's boxy silhouette appears on the decals added to both doors. The black and white treatment continues inside, where Abarth also added Sabelt sport seats, Alcantara upholstery on the dashboard, carbon fiber accents on the steering wheel and an aluminum-look shift knob for the six-speed manual transmission. The 131-shaped logo is found on the front seatbacks and on the passenger-side of the dashboard. Abarth notes that this is its first car with so-called Easter eggs. Power comes from a 1.4-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine. It's the same basic engine that powered the 500 Abarth when it was sold here, but in this application its output has increased to 180 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. Hitting 60 mph from a stop takes 6.7 seconds according to the firm, and the hatchback keeps accelerating until it reaches 140 mph. If you're more into winding roads, Abarth added Koni FSD shock absorbers on both axles for sharp handling. A braking system provided by Brembo keeps the power in check. Just 695 units of the Abarth 695 Tributo 131 Rally will be available worldwide, and it goes without saying that none will make the trip to the United States. Pricing in the United Kingdom starts at GBP32,325, a figure that represents about $39,900 at the current conversion rate. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Fiat opens doors at Abarth factory on Google Street View

Google Street View has emerged as a great tool for checking out locations along your driving route, and even scoping out places you don't have a chance to go yourself. And that includes some great automotive installations. The online tool has taken us inside museums, race tracks and factories around the world, but while it has not to date allowed us virtual access to a European automotive factory, Fiat is out to correct that wrong by letting the Street View team inside Officine Abarth.
The new Abarth Virtual Tour allows online visitors to see the complex in Turin where it makes its hot hatches, including the lifts where the mechanics go to work, the paint spray booth, and a variety of technical workshops, as well as a display of historic Abarth models, a 360-degree view inside and out of the extreme Abarth 695 Biposto and even inside a reproduction of founder Karl Abarth's office. Scope it out for a visit inside Italy's premiere hot hatch studio.

Fiat brand chief reassigned then resigns amid flagging sales

Jason Stoicevich was replaced as head of the Fiat brand in North America just the other day. He was immediately reassigned to another job within Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. But according to Automotive News, Stoicevich quit the new job – and the company altogether – the very next day. The development comes amidst flagging sales for the Fiat brand in America. The introduction of the awkward-looking 500L multi-purpose vehicle has been largely regarded as a sales disaster in the US. Despite having just introduced the new 500X into the growing crossover market, and an overall upward trend across FCA group sales, the Fiat brand's figures have been dropping all year. While the Italian brand's volume has fluctuated from month to month compared to last year's sales, the number of cars its dealers sells on an average day has been firmly in decline. Fiat's downward trend reflects a general tendency in the market towards larger vehicles at the expense of smaller ones. However, the powers that be in Auburn Hills evidently felt that a change of leadership was in order, so it placed Dodge chief Tim Kuniskis in charge of all the company's mass-market passenger-car brands – namely Dodge, Chrysler, and Fiat – and moved Stoicevich to running the group's fleet and small-business operations. Stoicevich remained in charge of the company's California Business Center, but it seems as though he was as dissatisfied with the switch as his superiors were with the performance of the brand over which he presided, and so he apparently elected to step down and leave the company.