Is this Fiat 500X on steroids a sneak peek at Abarth’s first crossover?

By Ronan Glon November 6, 2015

Fiat is showing a muscular-looking 500X at this year’s SEMA show. Dubbed 500X Chicane, the concept is completely decked-out with accessories sourced from the Mopar catalog.

Finished in an eye-catching hue called “competition blue” in Fiat-speak, the 500X Chicane gains a more aggressive-looking front bumper with mesh inserts, blacked-out lights on both ends, side skirts, and a new rear bumper with an air diffuser as well as a pair of round exhaust outlets. A sprinkling of gloss black trim and 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped by low-profile Continental tires add a finishing touch to the track-ready look.

Fiat has Moparized the cabin with a bright pedal kit, thicker floor mats, black Katzkin leather upholstery, and dark blue accents that match the body on the seats, the dashboard, and the steering wheel.

The modifications are mostly skin-deep. As to power production, the 500X Chicane uses a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that pumps out a healthy 180 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 174 pound-feet of torque at 3,900 rpm in its basic state of tune. Bolted to a nine-speed automatic transmission, the concept’s four-banger delivers a little bit more power than its regular-production counterpart because it breathes through a new cat-back exhaust, but full technical specifications haven’t been published yet.

What’s next?

While most of the wild concepts displayed at the annual SEMA show are one-offs built to catch the attention of frenzied show-goers, the 500X Chicane might have a brighter future ahead of it.

It was undeniably designed to showcase Mopar’s catalog of add-ons, but it could also serve as a preview for the long-rumored 500X Abarth that’s tentatively scheduled to make its official debut next year at the Geneva Motor Show. A recent report coming out of England suggests the hot-rodded crossover will pack a de-tuned version of the Alfa Romeo 4C‘s 1.7-liter turbo four that will deliver at least 200 horsepower.

Set to land as a 2017 model, the Fiat 500X Abarth will fight head-to-head against the Mini Countryman John Cooper Works and the Nissan Juke Nismo.

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Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…

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