Fiat Confirms the 124 Spider

2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata (Credit: © Mazda)

Pretty much since the day Mazda announced that it was working on a new Miata, we knew that FCA was collaborating with the Japanese automaker to create the chassis. Initially, all signs pointed toward FCA using the chassis to create a new Alfa Romeo roadster, but then FCA boss, Sergio Marchionne, said that he didn’t want to have an Alfa Romeo built outside of Italy. This meant that there was realistically only on brand left to inherit the new roadster: Fiat.

At the 2015 Geneva Auto Show, Marchionne was asked by Auto Express if the new Fiat roadster would indeed be called the 124 Spider, which the brand trademarked in 2014. After a brief conversation with the FCA team, one of the FCA brass stepped up and confirmed that the roadster will wear the legendary nameplate that first saw use between 1966 and 1983.

Now the only unknowns are how Fiat will differentiate the 124 Spider from the MX-5 Miata and what engines will it use. The former will remain unknown until we get closer to its reveal date, but the latter is fairly simply to figure out just by looking at what Fiat has to offer. The most likely powerplant in the Fiat 124 Spider will be the 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, which produces 160 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque – 5 more horsepower and 22 pound-feet more torque than the MX-5 – in the 2015 Abarth 500.

What’s more, there will also be an Abarth 124 Spider, according to reports, and Auto Express learned from a source that this model will use the same engine, but with its output cranked up to about 200 horsepower. The Abarth model will also features retuned suspension and steering, and some extra aero goodies too.

Depending on how Fiat prices the 124 Spider, Mazda may have created its own worst enemy in this partnership, as the MX-5’s disappointing base engine leaves a lot to be desired, while the Fiat engine seems more suited for a sports car. Only time will tell how this all shakes out, but we should learn soon, as the Fiat 124 Spider is slated for a 2016 release.