Fiat is a big player in Brazil, and now the Abarth brand is also being introduced there – with the compact SUV Abarth Pulse.
In this country, the Fiat subsidiary Abarth only has two extremely souped-up Fiat 500 models at the start with the models 595 and 695. And from 2024 the brand will be completely electric. In Brazil, Abarth is now launching a new, completely different model. ,
With the announced Abarth Pulse, the sporty Fiat subsidiary should roll up the market in South America. The recipe for the Abarth Pulse is similar to that of previous Abarth models. Take a Fiat, give it sporty add-on parts, new logos, a warlike sticker and adapted drives - and the Abarth is done. In Brazil, the carmaker uses the compact SUV Pulse presented in 2021 as a basis, which is based on the newly developed MLA platform. ,
Sports optics and 185 hp
As the first pictures show, the Pulse in the Abarth trim has even more lavish fender flares, a radiator grille with a honeycomb structure and Abarth logo, a new front apron with modified side air intakes and lower-mounted fog lights as well as a different rear apron with a diffuser insert and a twin tailpipe that has been moved to the left. The Abarth look is rounded off by lettering on the tailgate, Abarth design stripes on the flanks and a red insert in the front apron. The exterior mirror caps pick up this color. The rest of the body is presented in a distinguished gray, while the roof area is contrasted in high-gloss black. The light-alloy rims in the wheel arches are also shiny black.
The interior of the Abarth Pulse is characterized by black synthetic leather surfaces with red contrasting stitching on the steering wheel, gear knob and seats. The headlining is also black. There are also Abarth logos on the steering wheel impact absorber, the seat backs and the dashboard. A red insert runs across the dashboard.
When it comes to the drive, Abarth relies on the new 1.3-liter turbo petrol engine with 185 hp and 270 Nm of torque, which can also be fed with ethanol. It is shifted by a sporty six-speed automatic. The Pulse manages the sprint from zero to 100 km/h in 7.6 seconds, and the top speed is 215 km/h. A poison driving mode, which can be activated via a button on the steering wheel, is intended to sharpen the overall response of the drive.
Conclusion
Fiat is now bringing the Abarth brand to Brazil. In Europe, only the 595 and 695 models as Fiat 500 derivatives currently run under the label. In Brazil, however, the Abarth label will stick to a compact SUV with 185 hp in the future.
