Abarth’s first electric hot hatch has been leaked undisguised as the clock runs out on the Italian brand’s petrol models.
In an image shared across social media and on spy shot site Coche Spias, we can see what appears to be the front end of a fettled Fiat 500e in some kind of Stellantis facility; a new Maserati GranTurismo can be seen in the background.
Mopar Insiders reports the Abarth EV could be revealed in November ahead of a mid-2023 launch.
The front end has received a unique look. The grille area continues to be closed off, but the two horizontal chrome lines and oversized 500 badge have been switched out for a simple but still large Abarth wordmark.
The Abarth shield sits on the bonnet area, and the lighting elements appear unchanged. It’s also finished in lurid Acid Yellow with black mirror caps.
The bumper features a honeycomb instead of rectangular pattern on both the closed-off sections and the open air intake, while there’s a front splitter.
Though no photos of the rear have surfaced, we’d expect a similar level of differentiation here with a unique rear bumper.
Peer closer and there appear to be sports seats inside, as one would expect of an Abarth.
Fiat 500e
While we know Abarth will be an EV-only brand from 2024, we don’t know what the 500e-based hatch will be called or how powerful it will be.
Up-spec 500es feature an electric motor with 87kW of power and 220Nm of torque, mated with a 42kWh lithium-ion battery.
WLTP range is 320km, it can be topped up at a DC fast charger at up to 85kW, and it does the 0-100km/h sprint in 9.0 seconds.
In contrast, the Abarth 595/695 in Australia features a turbocharged 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 132kW of power and 250Nm of torque and a claimed 0-100km/h time of either 6.7 or 6.9 seconds depending on the transmission.
The Abarth EV will be quite unique as there’s little in the way of sporty EVs this size.
The 500e was revealed all the way back in 2020 but will finally be introduced in Australia during the first half of 2023.
It’s available as a hatchback, convertible, or an unusual four-door hatchback body style with two doors on one side à la the defunct Hyundai Veloster.
Available features include full LED headlights, 15- to 17-inch alloy wheels, “eco” leather trim, electric front seat adjustment, self-dimming rear-view mirror, a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, JBL Premium sound system, and a wireless phone charger.
There’s also a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system running Uconnect 5 and featuring wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
Abarth 695 Competizione
Safety features extend to adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane centring assist, traffic sign recognition, and ‘Level 2’ self-driving capability.
Abarth’s global line-up now consists solely of fettled versions of the dated combustion-powered 500 following the demise of the Mazda MX-5-derived 124 Spider.
In Australia, the 595 Competizione will be replaced by the almost identical 695 Competizione in the fourth quarter of this year.
The few changes comprise a new seat assembly and roof antenna and revised colour palette.
The 595C convertible has been axed locally.
