Australia could welcome its coolest EV to date next year, with news Abarth will launch its first electric vehicle next year – a battery-powered and hi-po version of the Fiat 500.
Italy’s answer to the retro-cool Honda e will reportedly swap range for power, out-punching the Fiat 500 Electric’s circa 85kW and 220Nm, but delivering less than its more mild-mannered sibling’s 320km/h driving range.
That’s because the Abarth version will likely share the 500’s 42kWh battery pack, but will use more of its capacity generating performance, with reports suggesting the brand will target a sub-seven-second sprint to 100km/h, and a top speed in excess of 160km/h.
All the other important bits will be changed, too, including brakes, and the “exhaust” note, which will give an option of silence or an artificial soundtrack.
According to the brand’s top execs, testing is already well underway, ahead of an official launch next year.
“The bad news is that it’s more complicated to deliver than I thought. If you want to do a real Abarth, it’s not the same electric powertrain. Once it has the power and torque you want, it’s no longer the same drivetrain, nor the same transmission or brakes,” Abarth chief Olivier François told UK outlet Auto Car.
Keyword: Australia's coolest EV? Abarth going electric as hi-po answer to Fiat 500 EV