News from the gravepine has been whispering that Abarth will come out with its own mid-engined roadster ever since the revival by Fiat and the whispers indicated that they would be getting in bed with either Lotus or KTM for the roadster.
The whispers soon sided that KTM would be the one under the sheets with their X-Bow chassis forming the base for the roadster. Now however, it looks like Abarth will be sleeping alone on the project.
The problem is that the carbon fiber X-Bow chassis will raise the cost of the roadster, reducing its appeal to the low end market that Fiat is targeting. Then there’s always the option of Lotus, which is not being considered for personal reasons. When Lotus’s current CEO, Danny Bahar, jumped ship from Ferrari to Lotus, he pulled along a number of top Maranello and Maserati boys with him and the tension is still simmering it would seem.
So right now, the whispers indicate a direct Lotus Elise rival as a marketing plan for the roadster. Power will come from the latest MultiAir engine mated to a dual-clutch gearbox. That, combined with the fact that it's meant to be a more affordable car, would make it a sure fire hit, apart helping more drivers afford a proper car with proper sports car handling.
Of course the plan is at odds with Sergio Marchionne’s plan for Chrysler and Fiat, which is to integrate products from both lines.
However, the bright side could be a mid-engined Dodge that would surely be a hit in the American market. Either way, it looks like nobody will be complaining.
Source: PistonHeads
:slug::slug: