By now you know that the Fiat 500 is a car I wish would be made available here in the states. I just think it is a cool little car, like the MINI. Well you can imagine my excitement when I saw this over at MotorTrend:

Fiat is considering whether to send the sporty Abarth version of its new 500 minicar to the U.S., reports Automotive News. The car would be sold without Fiat badges at select Alfa Romeo dealers sometime after 2010. If the plan becomes reality, this would be the first car Fiat has sold in the U.S. since it left the market in 1983.

Set to be launched on July 4, the Fiat 500 is a remake of the automaker’s famous minicar from the 1960s in the vein of the Mini Cooper. Not coincidentally, Fiat sees the Mini as the Abarth 500’s main competition. The Abarth version of the 500 will reportedly come with a 1.4-liter four-banger that could push as much as 150 horsepower, depending upon configuration.

Fiat does have reservations about the long-term willingness of U.S. buyers to buy small cars. CEO Sergio Marchionne points out that previous stints of small-car popularity brought on by high gas prices always ended when prices dropped to a normal level.

[ Fiat Abarth 500 may be U.S.-bound ]