Abarth 500X on the way

Abarth looks set to offer a more powerful version of the Fiat 500X.

The sporty new SUV is being created to rival both the Nissan Juke Nismo RS and the MINI Countryman JCW says, Automotive News, which broke the Abarth-branded SUVs cover.

According to Abarth boss, Paolo Gagliardo, the desire within Fiat is to grow the Italian car-maker's performance brand beyond its current 500 models.

"We want to keep growing and stabilise at a certain level," he told Automotive News.

Already confirmed is an Abarth version of the recently revealed Fiat 124 Spider (which is based on the Mazda MX-5 platform) and there's a desire within the company to return to rallying. But according to the report, a "performance-inspired 500X" would be another option.

Set to come with a lower, stiffer, sportier suspension tune, plus a unique Abarth body kit, the athletic 500X is likely to come powered by a 1.4-litre turbo "Multiair" petrol with at least 127kW of power.

Channelling the power to the ground will be all-wheel drive setup and six-speed manual or dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Driving the business case for an Abarth-badged 500X is said to be the US market where one in five Fiat 500s sold is an Abarth.

If confirmed for production, the Abarth 500X is almost certain to make it Down Under.