Abarth has officially jumped onto the electric vehicle (EV) bandwagon with its new 500e entering Brazil’s market in two guises – a cabriolet and a hatchback.
The company added that it will only be producing a limited run of just 1,949 units for the market, a number that represents the company’s birth year, with two colour combinations for choice – Acid Green or Poison Blue.
Utilising an all-EV architecture that differs from its petrol-powered stablemates, it boasts of better weight distribution, torque and a longer wheelbase.
In a company statement, the Italian compact carmaker said “electrification means being more fun and more competitive,” before adding that going electric not only means adopting more greener solutions but also “pure, distilled and hardcore fun”.
The company even went so far as to describe its electrified little ‘Scorpion’ to perform better in both straight line and cornering performance which leaves the Abarth 695 trailing behind.
The 500e comes equipped with a 42kWh lithium-ion battery for its 113.7kW / 155PS electric motor that gets it from 0 to 100kph in 7.0 seconds.
Drivers will have access to three main driving modes of Turismo, Scorpion Stree and Scorpion Track.
In Turismo (Touring) mode, the 500e provides smooth acceleration and lower power delivery by limiting maximum power down to 100kW instead of the full 113kW and 220Nm rather than 235Nm of maximum torque.
Taking it up a notch to Scorpion Street, while the 500e’s full performance gets unrestricted here.
In either mode, regenerative braking gets maximised allowing drivers to drive with just one pedal (the accelerator).
Scorpion Track mode is quite self-explanatory, it’s basically no-holds-barred pure performance without any feel for regenerative braking.
To charge up the 500e, it comes fitted with an 85kW fast-charging system which allows it to pick up an additional 40km of range in under five minutes. Beyond that, recouping 80% of the 500e’s range will take around 35 minutes before switching over to a trickle to reduce battery stress.
Inside, the 500e’s cabin can be described as musical.
Pressing the Key On-Off button is accompanied by a guitar tune.
Likewise, its Acoustic Vehicle Alert System also provides a “jingle” and surpassing the 20kph mark will also get a guitar strum.
The company says that its 500e is the first city car to be equipped with a Sound Generator which provides a “roar” that its avid fans (the Scorpionissima) are familiar with by mimicking one of the company’s petrol engines.
Looks-wise, the 500e differentiates itself with a sporty new front bumper, side skirts, rear diffuser inserts, dedicated 18-inch diamond-cut Titanium Grey alloy wheels and new Titanium Grey mirror caps.
It also comes fitted with full-LED headlights, disc brakes all-around, new front and rear Abarth lettering in dark titanium Grey, a new lateral electrified Scorpion signature logo and a black capote with an integrated sporty spoiler.
Other goodies include sporty steel pedals, a kick plate with an engraved logo for that race-track vibe, new titanium Grey dashboard ring and steel door sill plates with an Abarth lettering relief.
The design of the new sports seats upholstered in Alcantara and held together by contrasting double-stitches carry the company’s scorpion logo lasered in Acid-Green into the headrests.
Even the dashboard and inserts for the three-spoke steering wheel get the Alcantara treatment.
Along with a 7.0-inch digital cluster, a 10.25-inch Uconnect Radio Touchscreen powering up the JBL speakers provides access to navigation, entertainment and connectivity options.
This includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as a performance page.
Owners will also be able to receive vehicle notifications via the Fiat mobile app which includes real-time information and onboard security.
For convenience, there’s also a keyless entry system, automatic wipers, a 360-degree birds-eye view camera system (including a reverse camera), automatic headlights, an electrochromic interior mirror and a wireless charger.
Lastly, safety has been further boosted with advanced driving assist systems (ADAS) such as Traffic Sign Information, Autonomous Emergency Brake with pedestrian and cyclist recognition, Intelligent Speed Assistant, Lane Keeping Assist, Drowsy Driver Detection, Attention assist, Cruise control, Blind Spot Warning and Emergency call.
