Abarth, the high-performance arm of Italian carmaker Fiat, has unveiled details of its first-ever electric car.
Due here later thus year, the Abarth 500e is an enhanced version of the Fiat 500e which will arrive mid-year.
Abarth 500e will be powered by a front-mounted 114 kW/235Nm electric motor with a 42kW battery pack that pushes the little car from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.0 seconds.
In a break from the normal silence that identifies most electric vehicles, Abarth has fitted an interesting piece of technology called the Sound Generator which produces a fake engine noise supposedly matching the legendary sound of the Abarth engine.
It’s likely to divide opinions, so fortunately can be turned off.
At launch the 500e will come as a Scorpionissima hatchback with a limited edition of 219 units which include a digital certificate of authenticity.
The Turismo variant will be added later.
Only 1949 units will be produced worldwide, with the number of units commemorating the year the Abarth brand was founded.
Exterior features include 18-inch alloys, full LED lighting, panoramic fixed glass roof, privacy glass, heated Titanium grey mirror caps and an electrified version of Abarth’s traditional Scorpion logo.
Inside there are premium sport seats trimmed with embossed suede, leather and suede sports steering wheel, suede dashboard Fascia, 50:50 split foldable rear seats, height adjustable driver seat, heated front seats and sporty metal pedals and kick plate.
Three different charging modes are available: a CCS COMBO Type 2 socket that enables both domestic and public AC charging, and public DC fast charging at a maximum rate of 85kW.
With a DC fast charging station, it is possible to charge from 0-80 per cent in 35 minutes.
Maximum driving range is a claimed 252km.
Abarth 500e includes an e-mode selector on the central console enabling the driver to select three different driving modes: Turismo, Scorpion Street or Scorpion Track.
Turismo mode allows for smoother acceleration and maximum efficiency.
Scorpion Street mode offers top performance while maximising regenerative braking. Both Turismo or Scorpion Street Mode get a one-pedal driving feature.
Scorpion Track is the high-performance mode although it does delete the single-pedal function.
Abarth 500e features Autonomous Driving Level 2 as standard.
A forward-looking camera, located behind the internal rear-view mirror, supports longitudinal and lateral control of the vehicle, performing intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control (iACC) and Lane Centring (LC).
There will be the choice of five colours: Poison Blue, Antidote White, Venom Black, Adrenaline Red and stand-out Acid Green.
Infotainment features will include a 10.25-inch tablet-style touchscreen with DAB+ digital radio, wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto combined with a 7.0-inch TFT full digital cluster.
Sound will be from a six-speaker premium JBL audio.
Prices will be announced closer to launch later this year.
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