Abarth wants petrol power back 

It turns out that, despite the lurid colours, novel virtual exhaust and nippy performance, people aren’t buying anywhere near as many Abarth 500es as expected, primarily because the powertrain can’t be modified. As a result, Abarth management now wants to offer a hot version of the just-debuted Fiat 500 Hybrid.

Speaking to Autocar, Fiat and Abarth Europe boss Gaetano Thorel said there was a huge modding and tuning scene within the Abarth customer base, which is essentially being neglected by the electric 500e and its bigger 600e stablemate.

“The Abarth customer wants a combustion engine not only for the power, but because Abarth customers fundamentally buy the car and then modify it with their own hands,” he said. 

“On the electric one you cannot, so for them it’s a limitation – they cannot put their hands on the engine and fuel, and that’s why the Abarth club are not very happy with us.”

Production of the turbo-petrol Abarth 695 wound down in August last year, replaced exclusively by the battery-electric 500e, which has come under fire for its poor range, high asking price and lack of charisma compared to its predecessor.

According to Thorel, the platform underpinning the new Fiat 500 Hybrid – which was adapted from the electric vehicle (EV), can handle more power, but there’s limited space for an engine larger than the existing 48kW/92Nm 1.0-litre three-cylinder.

That unit is also incapable of offering the sort of firepower and character hot hatch fans demand from a petrol-powered Abarth, which have traditionally been snarling little ripsnorters egging you on to explore the upper rev range and attack corners.

According to Thorel, the platform underpinning the new Fiat 500 Hybrid – which was adapted from the electric vehicle (EV), can handle more power, but there’s limited space for an engine larger than the existing 48kW/92Nm 1.0-litre three-cylinder.

It sounds like Abarth may need to develop an all-new platform for a hot internal combustion 500 – or at minimum, re-engineer the old 695 platform.

Engines? Who knows, but Thorel has promised the brand is investigating all plausible avenues to give consumers what they want and revive a dinosaur juice-powered 500 hot hatch.

“We are trying,” he said.

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