After the Panda presentation last week in Pomigliano, Marchionne would have accidentally ‘leaked’ information about a future Abarth sports car. He almost had to as journalists kept on asking about a ‘scorpion’ version on the basis of the Panda. But there won’t be any. Earlier one FGA denied there’s going to be an Abarth model on the basis of the Alfa Romeo 4C, so we expect future reality to be somewhere in between these two point of views.

The Italian CEO (his top positions cannot be counted on one hand) had some other interesting news. The new Abarth will get its own design and will have the engine in the front instead of the back (as with the 4C). The 1,750 TBI will have approximately 250 bhp in that case. Other voices already suggest that future Abarth models will be based on several other Alfa’s. Fiat as a brand is continuing to expand it’s ‘family feeling’ image in the future, so it’s more likely Abarth models will have to look at its Milanese sister brand. Although historically Alfa and Abarth share nothing in common, Marchionne would have said this should not create any confusion or overlap in business related activities.