It’s no surprise Fiat chose this weekend’s Concorso Italiano in Monterey, California to unveil its new Fiat 500 Turbo.

The gathering of Italian vehicles is all part of a huge weekend in Monterey anchored by the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach.

While the new Fiat with a price tag under $20,000 will sell for a fraction of the price you’ll find with the other luxury cars displayed in Monterey this weekend, this was the perfect venue to unveil the newest Fiat. (Related: Cutting Back: Wealthy Car Buyers Trading Down .)

California has become the hot market for Fiat since its re-introduction to the U.S. last year. This year, Fiat sales in the Golden State have outpaced their growth in the rest country.

The Italian brand now has .05 market share in the largest auto market in the U.S. While that market share is a drop in the bucket compared to other brands, there’s no questioning demand for Fiat in California.

That should continue with the new 500 Turbo. It will have 135 horsepower and a 5-speed manual transmission. It won’t quite deliver the performance of the 500 Abarth model but it will have about a third more horsepower than the base 500 edition. The price of $19,500 keeps it under the psychological threshold of $20,000. (Related: An Investment? Wheels May Be Just an Expensive Hobby. )

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