Abarth 500e officially surfaces

Full details of the all-new Abarth 500e have been released following pics of the pint-size all-electric hot hatch were leaked online.

Introduced to replace both the Abarth 595 and 696 hot hatches, the Fiat 500e-based supermini is the Italian performance brand's first-ever EV.

Upping the ante over the new Fiat 500e, which has been confirmed for Australian release, the Abarth 500e brings better weight-distribution, more torque and wider wheel tracks in an effort to make it faster and more exciting in urban and suburban driving.

Producing 114kW and 235Nm (up from 87kW/220Nm in the Fiat 500e), the Abarth 500e can sprint to 100km/h in less than seven seconds, says Fiat.

Externally, there's a more aggressive front bumper, new side skirts, a rear diffuser and fresh Abarth-specific rims, plus the Abarth's scorpion logos on the rear body panels. The convertible version also sports an integrated rear spoiler.

As you might expect, within there are plenty of carryover parts from the Fiat 500e, but all Abarth 500e hot hatches come with a three-spoke steering wheel, leather and Alcantara-clad sport seats, a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch infotainment system that displays special performance data to help drivers analyse a hot lap.

All Abarth 500e hatches will come with configurable driving modes, including a Turismo setting for daily driving, which winds back power and torque fractionally to 100kW and 220Nm. This is said to ensure a smoother power delivery.

However, a Scorpion Street mode ramps everything back up, delivering full power (and torque) as well as maximum energy recuperation under brakes.

The Scorpion Track setting, meantime, backs off the regen to deliver maximum performance for the racetrack.

Single-pedal driving is available in both Turismo and Scorpion Street modes.

Helping enhance the flat-out driving experience of the Abarth 500e is a new sound generator that is claimed to faithfully mimic the sound of a petrol engine.

The hot Abarth 500e is powered by the bigger 42kWh battery from the Fiat 500e, but Abarth has not revealed how long it can travel between battery top-ups.

The Italian car-maker does, however, say that 85kW DC fast-charging capability allows the Abarth 500e to add up to 50km of range in five minutes, with an 0-80 per cent recharge taking around 30 minutes.

Confirmed for European release in the third quarter of 2023, the Abarth 500e will likely land in Australia later next year or in 2024, following the arrival of the core all-electric Fiat 500e here in the first half of 2023.

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