A shower of awards for Abarth in early 2020 has confirmed the great enthusiasm for the Scorpion, which celebrated its 70th-anniversary last year. Abarth triumphed in the competitions held by two prestigious German car magazines, as well as victories in Hungary and Slovenia in February, part of the international “Best Cars 2020” project.
Firstly, Abarth design won three first places in as many categories of the “Best Brands 2020” competition, held by the automotive magazine AUTO BILD. Readers of the magazine awarded Abarth first place for best design and, for the third year running, declared Abarth design the best in the city car and convertible categories, too.
“AUTO BILD readers are excited about the Abarth 595/695 and the Abarth 124 Spider, as evidenced by these three new victories in the design categories of the “Best Brands” competition,” said Luca Napolitano, Head of EMEA Fiat and Abarth brands. “This award is an important acknowledgment and makes us very proud, confirming the value of our strategy of devoting great attention to the exclusivity of design of all the models, as well as once again representing the bond that Abarth has forged over time with German readers and with Germany, one of the main markets for our Brand, where the upward trend in early 2020 sales points to a vindication of last year’s record.”
This was the ninth “Best Brands” competition, organized by AUTO BILD. Readers of the print magazine and online editions were asked to justify their purchasing decisions in a range of sectors, including cars, accessories, spare parts and services. In the automotive category, 37 major brands were selected, divided into 14 classes of vehicles, from smaller cars to SUVs. In total, more than 57,000 readers provided feedback.
MOTORSPORT AKTUELL readers also cast their votes, awarding the Abarth 595 and Abarth 695 a landslide victory in the “Racer of the Year” category in the election of the best cars and drivers of the 2019 season. 64.2% of the votes went to the Abarth 595/695, which took first place in the “Minicar” category. MOTORSPORT AKTUELL put to the ballot a total of 67 vehicle models in five categories, along with 135 drivers from nine disciplines.
The Abarth 595 and Abarth 695 models gained the votes of MOTORSPORT AKTUELL’s German, Austrian and Swiss readers, who decided to reward Abarth’s strategy of commitment to motorsport, aimed at mass production of technology solutions designed for racing. Technology transfer has contributed to the development of the Abarth 595 series and its five models with output ranging from 145 horsepower to 180 horsepower. The Abarth 695 series is reserved for special models, such as the Abarth 695 70° Anniversario, launched to celebrate the cult Italian brand’s 70th birthday. The model, limited to only 1,949 units – to commemorate the year the Abarth brand was founded, features the Spoiler ad Assetto Variable, put through its paces by Abarth engineers in the FCA wind tunnel in Orbassano, near Turin, to increase fast mixed grip courses and stability at high speeds. In short, the car’s performance is improved.
Last but not least, in February the Scorpion models also collected prestigious prizes in Slovenia and Hungary at the local version of the “Best Cars 2020” competition – the international project created by the German magazine “Auto Motor und Sport”, including 21 automotive-specialist media outlets in 17 countries. In particular, the Slovenian magazine Avto Magazin bestowed on Abarth 595/695 the title of “Best Cars 2020” in the “Mini Cars” category, while the Hungarian magazine and website vezess.hu conferred a hat-trick of awards on the Scorpion brand.
2020 Abarth 695 70° Anniversario Edition Image Gallery:
Source: Abarth
