Unlike in Europe where Abarth models are sold in standalone showrooms under the Scorpion sub-brand name, in North America the most powerful version of the Fiat 500 supermini will carry the "Fiat 500 Abarth" name and be sold alongside Fiat-badged 500 models in the new showrooms, looking to provide the rub-off 'halo' effect that is the traditional primary role of sporty, range-topping versions.

Increasing the diversity of the North American Fiat 500 range with the addition istinctive sporty Abarth version will help broaden the showroom offering available to the new Fiat dealership network which is struggling to boost sales after a haphazard relaunch of the brand over the last year. It will also help the prospects of the new dealers who have been recently upset to find that plans for Alfa Romeo to return to the U.S. weren't as much a prospect as they had been led to believe while proposals to add a second Fiat brand model to their showrooms, in the shape of a compact minivan which will replace Fiat's Idea and Multipla in Europe next year have been quietly shelved, leaving their business plans looking shaky.

The arrival of the muscular Abarth version - with its attractive and aggressive bodykit and more powerful turbocharged engine - will also hopefully swing the pendulum away from the brand's recent Stateside marketing strategy that has focused on pigeonholing the Fiat 500 as a car targeted at female buyers, driven by the high profile choice of endorsement by actress and singer Jennifer Lopez as well, in a smaller way, by the recent preview at New York Fashion week of the fashion-focused limited-edition Fiat 500 by Gucci version.

Fiat North America has released two preview photoshops of the U.S. market 500 Abarth this week ahead of its Los Angeles debut and visually it is almost identical to the European version. The front and rear bumpers follow the same form but have been reengineered for U.S. safety legislation while there are now reflectors on the wheel arches. At the rear the U.S. market 500's tailgate is used which is stamped to the shape of that market's registration plate shape.

No specifications yet, but the 1.4 turbo will be fitted and all performance criteria will be almost identical to the European version. The Fiat 500 Abarth for the U.S. and Canadian markets will be built alongside the 500 and 500 Cabrio at the Chrysler Group's plant at Toluca in Mexico.