Answering a question no one asked.
Three SUVs will be introduced by the Italian section of FCA in 2021. They will come from three brands that are shaped like shoes. With the launch of the Tonale compact, Alfa Romeo will finally offer a sub-Stelvio version. Maserati will also have a Grecale companion to the Levante. Fiat will remove the fixed metal roof from the 500X in order to pursue the Volkswagen T-Roc Convertible.
Fiat announced the 500X Cabrio last month at a meeting of suppliers. Automotive News Europe now has information from a company official that this niche model will be available later in the year. ANE has cited sources that claim the automaker wants to keep the crossover’s doors frames and whole bodyside intact to reduce costs, much like the changes the 500 underwent to become the 500C.
VW has taken out the T-Roc rear doors from the convertible version, but the 500X Cabrio four-door crossover will have an electrically folding roof as well as a rear window. ANE continues to say that the unique little car will be manufactured at the FCA plant in southern Italy, where it will be assembled alongside the Jeep Compass/ Renegade and their 4xe hybrid derivatives.
The 500X will be made at Melfi later in the year with a mild hybrid powertrain. This will allow Fiat to comply with Europe’s stricter emission regulations. The cute crossover is being updated in multiple ways, but there is no word on an Abarth version.
An early prototype of the Fiat 500X, a performance-oriented Fiat 500X, was constructed and tested with three engines. The Abarth pocket rockets 695 and 595 provided two engines, while the Alfa Romeo 4C produced the third. It was rated at 237 horsepower (350 Newton-meters) and the Alfa Romeo 4C’s 1.75 liter unit. There is no production version of the 500X Sports.