New Fiat convertible

[kartone]

Is the new Fiat convertible available in Australia?
I fairly sure I saw one yesterday cruising with the MX5 club near Yea

[Neil Choi]

Yes, but not a Fiat, it's an Abarth 124, 1.4L turbo.

[Neil Choi]

Like this?

[Thijsvr]

I've seen one too. You mean the 124 right? Could be that it was an Abarth, but can't remember any weird striping. I like the ND MX5 better though, seems a bit better proportioned.

[lombardi]

saw one yesterday,  very hard to tell difference from the mazda ,  the abarth , where is it made,  Japan , poland , italy , mexico , china , thailand , afghanistan , burka fasso , indonesia , ?

[Thijsvr]

According to Wikipedia it's made in Hiroshima. In the same plant as the MX5.

[carlo rossi]

the last time alfa did this it was the nissan pulsar as the ARNA
what a disaster
All this has done is reinforce the fact that the MX5 is a better sports car than anything
FIAT can produce  which under the current structure of management is probably
true, but then to defame ABARTH as well! does FIATs stupidity have no bounds
I'M so happy that Alfa has had the separation from FIAT
if this was a marriage
in court Alfa would say about FIat "it was like living with a BI polar suicidal maniac
with Too many credit cards"

[Colin Edwards]

The 124 Arbarth is assembled by Mazda, however the engine, gearbox, diff (LSD) and some suspension bits are from Fiat / Alfa. 
The engine seems to be the 1.4 MultiAir from the current Alfa Giulietta.  Brakes are Brembos and dampers are Bilstein.  Interior is mostly Mazda MX5.  The MX5 is a great car - i've driven both the 1.5 and the 2.0.  All reports on the 124 Arbarth agree its a better car than the MX5 - at pretty much the same price.  Apparently they are selling like hotcakes!

Now if the new MX5 hardtop were to come out with Alfa Romeo badges on it in a year or so......................with the 206kW Alfa MultiAir.................or the 175kW engine from the Giulietta QV......................!

[Thijsvr]

the last time alfa did this it was the nissan pulsar as the ARNA
what a disaster
All this has done is reinforce the fact that the MX5 is a better sports car than anything
FIAT can produce  which under the current structure of management is probably
true, but then to defame ABARTH as well! does FIATs stupidity have no bounds
I'M so happy that Alfa has had the separation from FIAT
if this was a marriage
in court Alfa would say about FIat "it was like living with a BI polar suicidal maniac
with Too many credit cards"

We're not representative of car buyers though. Most people don't know or just don't care that it's made by Mazda. Just like how a lot of people don't really care about engine or drive layout. I've been to parties where people didn't even know what model car they had. "It's a big silver Toyota I believe." (turned out to be a Camry).

That said I think Fiat could have done a whole lot worse than an MX5. The ND is a good car and if Fiat was kept to their own devices we would just get another 500C version.