The Fiat 500 Abarth is one of the most fun cars on the market right now; it will make you grin...as long as you're one of the few Americans who actually knows what to do with three pedals. This, of course, has hampered sales. Most Americans just don't want to deal with a manual transmission, and couldn't care less about that particular layer of fun.
Not ever wanting to miss out on stealing customers from VW—the GTI and Turbo Beetle, in this case—Fiat is going to be offering the Abarth with an automatic transmission. There's no word yet on the transmission's details, but we would guess that a sport-tuned version of Fiat's dual-clutch gearbox will end up doing the shifting for Abarth auto buyers.
Related: The Complex Guide to In-House Tuners
Related: Closed Course Test Drive: The Fiat 500 Abarth is a Miniature Beast
[via Ward's Auto]
