Abarth 500e, Abarth’s electric car completes its range in Europe
There was already talk of its arrival at the beginning of the year, with some first photos that gave a first glimpse of Abarth’s electric bet, and after being spotted just a few days ago, it was finally today when the brand announced that it would officially present the Abarth 500e, and indeed, it has been.
Of course, we are dealing with a Fiat 500e but in its sportiest version, as Abarth is accustomed to. On this occasion, the brand wanted to give the car its characteristic DNA with a bright yellow colour that catches the eye, as well as including its new logo. FIAT & Abarth CEO and Stellantis Global Marketing Director Olivier Francois said:
“Today we are celebrating a milestone in Abarth’s history: we are simultaneously presenting the first electric Abarth in Europe, based on the New 500e, and also launching the brand in Brazil with the unveiling of the New Abarth Pulse. The New Abarth 500e is one of the most exciting launches in the brand’s history: a major new addition to the Abarth range. I like to think of it as a family, so our fan base will be involved in every step of our electrification journey.
You may ask ‘Why electric?’. Well, basically, performance made us do it: in fact, every change made to the Abarth is about getting the best driving performance. That’s exactly how our founder, Carlo Abarth, did it. So, from that point of view, let’s say nothing has changed: better acceleration, better handling, more fun. And then there’s the legendary Abarth signature: its sound. All of that will fuel our gear shift towards a more global presence: the New Abarth Pulse in Brazil is phase 1, then we’ll see phase 2 when the New Abarth 500e arrives in markets beyond Europe, including Japan and Brazil. Put all that together and you get what we call more Abarth than ever!”
The New Abarth 500e rides on a 113.7 kW (155 hp) electric motor, and is equipped with a 42 kWh battery. In addition, although it is an all-electric car, and as such has no sound, Abarth has included a simulated sound through the ‘Sound Generator’ function, which is similar to the sound of an electric guitar, and can be activated or deactivated as required.
The new Abarth 500e is more responsive than an Abarth 695, according to the brand. In fact, the Abarth 500e is one second quicker in urban driving, which means 50% faster acceleration from 20 to 40 km/h than its combustion engine counterpart. It is also faster on the road, offering acceleration from 40 to 60 km/h in 1.5 seconds, again beating the petrol version. The Abarth 500e enables acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 7 seconds.
Three driving modes are available: ‘Turismo’, ‘Scorpion Street’ and ‘Scorpion Track’. The ‘Turismo’ mode restricts maximum power to 100 kW instead of 113 kW and torque to 220 Nm instead of 235 Nm. The ‘Scorpion Street’ mode offers maximum performance and increased regenerative braking. Finally, ‘Scorpion Track’ unleashes the full potential of the Abarth 500e. The ‘Turismo’ and ‘Scorpion Street’ modes make it possible to drive the electric car with just one pedal.
In terms of charging, it offers 85 kW fast charging which, according to Abarth, provides around 40 km in just 5 minutes of charging, requiring 35 minutes to charge to 80%. It also features ‘Plug&Play’.
The Abarth 500e also includes requests from Abarth community users themselves, giving them priority access, as a reward, to pre-book the launch version. The new, first all-electric Abarth is here to stay and complete the range in Europe. The brand added:
“The New Abarth 500e is the most responsive and exciting Abarth in urban driving and the fastest and most enjoyable in suburban driving. In short, it is more Abarth than ever. The electric architecture performs better than the petrol architecture thanks to better weight distribution, better torque and a longer wheelbase.”
The Abarth 500e will be launched in a launch version called ‘Scorpionissima’ limited to 1,949 units, a number that pays homage to the year of the brand’s birth. It is available in hatchback and cabrio versions. The new Abarth 500e Scorpionissima is equipped as standard with the 10.25″ Uconnect Radio touchscreen and a 7″ digital instrument panel, as well as other distinctive details such as 18″ ‘Diamond-Cut Titanium Grey’ wheels. It also offers wireless compatibility with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
According to the brand, “the customer experience of the New Abarth 500e will be paperless, online and intuitive”, implying that the vehicle can only be purchased online.
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