FIAT Is Building A “Tribute To Mexico” Limited Edition To Say Farewell:

A few months ago, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) announced the FIAT brand was discontinuing the brand’s halo car – the Fiat 500, from the North American market.  The Fiat 500 city car has been an iconic automobile around the globe since its introduction in 2007, despite the lack of sales success in North America and has been a lot of the times the best-selling FIAT vehicle in North America.

Currently, there are two assembly plants that manufacturer the Fiat 500 globally – one in Tychy, Poland and the other being Toluca, Mexico. In 2011, the production of the Fiat 500 began at the Toluca Assembly Plant, destined for Mexico and international markets. Since the 500 is pulling out of the North American market, the 500 will no longer be produced at the Toluca Assembly Plant in Mexico. So the FIAT brand is saying farewell to the Mexican market with a very limited and special edition run of Fiat 500 Abarth vehicles dubbed the “Tribute to Mexico” special edition.

Starting with the performance-oriented Fiat 500 Abarth, the “Tribute to Mexico” special editions are powered by the 1.4-liter MultiAir® Turbo engine, delivering 160 horsepower and 170 ft.-lbs of torque with a 5-speed manual transmission. For those looking for greater comfort and practicality for daily driving, there is a 6-speed automatic offering as well, however, the power ratings will be 157 horsepower and 183 ft.-lbs of torque.

The “Tribute to Mexico” special edition will also receive a special treatment to the suspension, with high-performance dampers and springs, as well as stabilizer bars on both axles. The cars will also be fitted with 17-inch Black forged aluminum wheels equipped with Pirelli PZero Nero tires. Stopping will be assisted with four-wheel disc and are complemented by all electronic safety assistants such as an ABS system.

Inside, the “Tribute to Mexico” will feature leather bucket seats, automatic air conditioning, performance-oriented steering wheel wrapped with leather, aluminum pedals, power sunroof, a 7-inch instrument display with G-force meter, a 5-inch UConnect® radio with navigation, and a 368-watt BeatsAudio® Premium sound system.

Only 37 of these special edition cars will be built. Customers will get a special commemorative box with a key ring as well as a certificate with the VIN number of their car, that credits the limited production run.

Customers will have three color choices to pick from…

• Metallic Green with White Stripes, Mirrors, and Roof
• Pearl White with Red Stripes, Mirrors, and Roof
• Bright Red with White Stripes, Mirrors, and Roof

The 2019 Fiat 500 Abarth “Tribute to Mexico” Special Edition models will set Mexican customers back, a $469,900 pesos (or about $24,000 USD) for the manual transmission offering, while automatic models start at $499,900 pesos (or about $25,550 USD). For more information, you can check out FIAT Mexico’s website.