Posted on: Nov 18, 2012 | 6,132 reads

Fiat 500e, Abarth Cabrio Coming to LA

Two new iterations of the Fiat 500 will debut in LA for two very different groups of potential buyers.

Although we're still waiting for details, Fiat has released a couple of photos of the 500e ahead of its official debut at the LA Auto Show. The Italian automaker is being quite secretive about its retro EV, only confirming that it will go on sale in California sometime in 2013. Electric powertrain aside, the 500e doesn't look much different from its internal-combustion counterpart, the white lower fascia the only give-away that this is the electric model. The side sills appear to have been borrowed from the Abarth model, albeit with smaller wheels.

Speaking of which, the 500C Abarth is also confirmed for debut in LA. Similar to the existing European model (pictured), the US-spec 500C Abarth will pack the same 180hp engine as the hatchback, only with a canvas roof. See Ferrari's ace pilots Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa test it out on Austin's F1 circuit in the video below.