A higher specification prototype of the Fiat 500X likely prepared by Abarth has been spied testing in Italy.

It seems Abarth is about to spice up Fiat's cute little crossover as a more potent version was caught on camera in Italy riding on beefy 19-inch alloys and equipped with a dual exhaust system. This really shouldn't come as a big surprise since in October last year we heard Fiat's Vice President of Design Roberto Giolito saying the "500X is a good body for Abarth" and that it's "absolutely perfect in terms of drivability, control. The driving seat is perfectly measured to control the car. So the Abarth [variant] would be perfect."

The punchiest Fiat 500X on sale today has a four-cylinder 2.4-liter Tigershark engine outputting 184 bhp (137 kW) so expect the Abarth version to go well above the 200 bhp (149 kW) mark. It's not known at this point what will power the 500X but Abarth could decide to install the 1.75-liter with 240 bhp (176 kW) from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde and 4C.

An official reveal of the Fiat 500X Abarth could occur as early as September at the Frankfurt Motor Show, with sales to commence before the end of the year or early 2016.