► Now it’s Abarth’s turn for a facelift
► New spy pics of warmed-up 595
► Similar look and feel to regular 500s
It’s amazing what you’ll find out testing in the woods in the run-up to Christmas: our man with the long lens stumbled upon the new 2016 model year Abarth 500 hot hatch undergoing winter tests.
Turns out the Abarth 595 and its meatier cousins are preparing for a late-life scrub-up to keep their pert couture in sync with the regular Fiat 500 city car.
What’s new on the 2016 Abarth?
Our spyshots suggest there’s a new front bumper with remodelled air intakes, lamps front and rear nabbed from the cooking hatchback and a fresh set of rims to complete the new-year look.
Abarth is rumoured to be pumping up the turbo wick to give its pocket rocket more boost – we hear up to 190bhp is on the cards for spicier versions. Meanwhile, the interior will be upgraded in line with the recently facelifted 500 hatchback’s, so that points to the latest infotainment system and more tidying up in the cabin. A Good Thing.
Expect to see the new Abarth hot hatches make their world debut at the Geneva motor show in March 2016, suggesting UK sales are likely by the summer.
