Abarth 500e, tuner's first electric car, is 'more responsive' than petrol-powered equivalent
Want the petrol model's noisy exhaust note? There's an option for that
Fiat’s sporty sub-brand, Abarth, has unveiled its first pure-electric model with “more responsive” performance than the petrol-powered Abarth 695.
The Abarth 500e is, as its name suggests, based on Fiat’s electric 500 but features more aggressive styling and a greater bias in the power delivery towards enthusiastic driving.
Abarth says that an electric powertrain is a perfect fit for one of its cars on account of weight being lower down in the car and better distributed front-to-rear, higher torque (twisting force) from the electric motor, and better stability and roadholding thanks to the wheels being pushed wider apart.
Visually, the Abarth stands out from its Fiat counterpart, and some of the design features (chiefly the colours and decals) were created as part of Abarth’s Performance Creators initiative, reaching out to fans and owners for their input on the new model.
As expected, there’s Abarth’s trademark scorpion badging aplenty, this time with a new electrified twist.
Abarth badging and lettering appear first and foremost on the nose while there’s also a new bumper and white splitter section setting it apart from the Fiat.
There are also side skirts, rear diffuser inserts, bespoke 18in alloy wheels and dark grey door mirror caps. The 500e is additionally available as a cabriolet, with a black hood and its own integrated spoiler.
Powering the Abarth 500e is a near-identical drivetrain to the standard Fiat using a 42kWh battery pack and a single 152bhp motor — all of which allows the 500e to sprint from a standstill to 62mph in seven seconds.
While that headline acceleration figure is some half a second slower than that of the petrol-powered Abarth 695, the new car is claimed to be much more responsive at lower speeds. Abarth says that the electric model is around a second faster than the 695 in the 12-25mph and 25-37mph ranges thanks to the 173lb ft of torque on tap from the motor.
Drivers can make best use of that power and torque by choosing one of three driving modes: Turismo, Scorpion Street or Scorpion Track.
Turismo is for those occasions where increasing efficiency and preserving battery range are higher priorities than outright performance as it limits power delivery to 124bhp and torque to 162lb ft.
Scorpion Street makes the 500e more responsive and allows it to achieve its full performance potential while turning the regenerative braking, whereby energy is recovered to the battery while slowing down, up to its maximum, allowing for one-pedal driving.
Scorpion Track is similar to Scorpion Street though without as much brake regen.
Although the 500e is pure-electric, Abarth has attempted to make the characteristic rorty exhaust note of its petrol-powered cars available to buyers should they want it. Buyers can tick the Sound Generator box on the order form, which synthetically recreates the engine sounds of the Abarth 695.
According to the company this was another aspect of the 500e that was created in conversation with fans and existing owners.
Launching the Abarth 500e is the high-spec limited-edition Scorpionissima variant of which just 1,949 will be built — the number a reference to the year in which Abarth was founded.
Available exclusively in eye-catching Acid Green or Poison Blue, the Scorpionissima is generously equipped with the 500e’s 10.25in central infotainment touchscreen and 7in digital driver’s instrument cluster as standard, as well as a fixed glass roof, automatic climate control, heated front seats and windscreen, automatically self-dipping headlights, a self-dimming rear-view mirror, wireless charging, a 360-degree “drone view” sensor system to aid in parking and the otherwise optional Sound Generator.
The interior sees heavy use of sporty Alcantara on the seats and dashboard with yet more in the way of embossed scorpions throughout.
UK pricing and delivery dates for the Abarth 500e have yet to be confirmed, and the model will be sold exclusively online from today (November 22).
As a “special reward” for their participation in the Performance Creators initiative, existing Abarth owners get first dibs on the Scorpionissima in the form of a one-month head-start before orders for the model open to the general public.
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