Fiat boosts Uno with Cabriolet concept and Sporting trim in Sao Paulo

Filed under: Concept Cars, Convertible, Hatchback, Misc. Auto Shows, Fiat, South America

Fiat Uno Cabriolet Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

If you’ve traveled overseas and seen the tiny Fiat Panda zipping around town, you’d probably scratch your head in bewilderment as to how much more “no frills” a car could get. Well, the Fiat Uno is your answer. Like the Fiat 500, the Uno is built atop the same chassis as the Panda, but unlike the retro-hatch with its cutesy charm, the Uno is all about getting back to basics. But even basic cars can get an added dose of excitement…”excitement” here being used as a relative term.

The Uno is built by Fiat’s South American unit for the Brazilian market where the Italian automaker is, in more ways than one, a driving force. And for the Sao Paulo Auto Show currently under way there, Fiat unveiled two sporty(er) versions of the little economy car.

The more exciting of the two is the Uno Cabriolet, which receives modified bodywork in a roadster style with two seats, a molded cowl, an aggressive aero kit and 17-inch wheels. Under the hood resides a 1.4-liter turbo four producing 152 horsepower, which is a whopping figure for a car that looks like it could fit in your shirt pocket.

Unfortunately the Uno Carbio is strictly a showcar for the time being, but while they were at it, Fiat also took the occasion to introduce the new Uno Sporting, pictured at right. The new (production) trim level packs an 85-horsepower 1.4-liter engine, a sport suspension lowered by 20mm and it rides on 15-inch alloys. A special body kit, badges, interior trim and unique shade of orange paint round out the package, which you can see for yourself in the gallery below.

Gallery: Fiat Uno Cabriolet Concept