Carbon-fiber parts and a software fix help create a lighter, faster Fiat

Chrysler Group's Mopar parts brand and Italian supplier Magneti Marelli have teamed up on a design exercise based on the 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth that shaved weight and added horsepower.

The vehicle, called the Venom, has a number of carbon fiber components -- hood and side mirrors, for example -- that makes it about 200 pounds lighter than the 2,512-pound Abarth.

The Venom uses software updates and additional exhaust components to boost the Abarth's standard 160-hp 1.4-liter turbocharged engine's output by as much as 25 percent. The coupe's roof is decorated with a large matte-black Scorpion, the historic symbol for the Abarth.

The Venom was shown to journalists in Las Vegas to demonstrate off-the-shelf customizing options available to European customizers from Mopar and Magneti Marelli, which is part of Fiat Group in Europe.

The parts are not currently available in the United States.

By Larry P. Vellequette