24.2.12
Wheelsology
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 most complete expression of the Abarth brand’s sportiness: the 695 'Assetto Corse', the new small super-sports car designed for racing on the track. This year it will debut in the single-make trophies. The new car will pair up with the 500 'Assetto Corse', the highly successful star of the track over the past three years.
Transmitting the experience of the world of racing to road-going cars is one of the Abarth brand’s fundamental concepts, confirmed by the first high-performance road-going car, the new Abarth Punto Scorpione. This Limited Edition is 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 represents the ultimate expression of 'elegant sportivity' of the brand and is dedicated to all trend-setters who love a marriage of comfort, elegance and sport. The displayed 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 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 1,500 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.
Posted in: Abarth,Geneva Motor Show 2012
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