North East Connected

More Abarth than ever: Abarth goes electric and more global

admin

Abarth is ushering in a completely new era by debuting the fully electric New Abarth 500e to enrich its model range and entering into Brazil with the successful launch of the New Abarth Pulse for an updated line-up that is more Abarth than ever.

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 petrol thanks to an improved weight distribution, better torque, and a wider wheelbase.

Electric is the perfect technology to improve driving pleasure and ensure more sprint, greater balance, more stability, and better road holding. In a nutshell, for Abarth, electrification means being more fun and more competitive. If you look at it from another angle, electrification not only means looking for greener solutions, but is also synonymous with pure, distilled, and hardcore fun.

Olivier Francois, FIAT & Abarth Chief Executive Officer and Global Chief Marketing Officer of Stellantis, commented, “Today we are celebrating a milestone in Abarth’s history: we are simultaneously presenting the first electric Abarth in Europe, based on the Fiat 500 electric, and also launching the brand in Brazil with the introduction of the New Abarth Pulse. The New Abarth 500e is one of the most exciting launches in the history of the brand: a great new addition to the Abarth line-up. I like to think of it as family, so our fanbase will be involved in every step of our electrification journey.” Francois continued: “You may ask ‘why electric?’. Well, basically, performance made us do it: in fact, every change made in the Abarth is about getting the best driving performance. That’s exactly how our founder, Carlo Abarth, always went at it. So, from that point of view, let’s say that nothing has changed: better acceleration, better handling, more fun. And then there’s Abarth’s legendary signature: its sound. All that will be feeding our gear shift to a more global presence: the New Abarth Pulse in Brazil is phase 1, then we’ll see phase 2 when the New Abarth 500e reaches markets beyond Europe, including Japan and Brazil. Put all that together and you get what we call more Abarth than ever!”

There is only one reason to make an electric Abarth: the search for the highest performance. This goal has been pursued by Abarth for over 73 years of sharp, adrenaline-fueled, and competitive experience. Abarth has been always synonymous with performance, competition, thrill, and an attitude that has been electrifying people since 1949. Today the Scorpion renews the challenge with a revolutionary model that takes performance to unprecedent levels, in line with the essence of Carlo Abarth’s life and his mantra: “Go faster than yesterday. Win more”.

The New Abarth 500e: more Abarth than EVer
The New Abarth 500e is a real Abarth and even more Abarth than ever, meaning that it offers an irreverent, playful, yet bold style, and a thrilling driving experience with the same amount of fun! Combining performance, electric power, style and a new powerful sound, the new Scorpion turns advanced technology into adrenaline, and sustainability into performance. Thanks to its electric architecture, in fact, along with improved weight distribution, better torque, and a wider wheelbase, the New Abarth 500e is faster and more exciting in both urban and suburban driving, ensuring the best performance.

The New Abarth 500e is the most responsive and exciting Abarth 500 ever in city driving, performing better than an Abarth 695 in responsiveness. In fact, it is 1 second faster in the urban pickup, which means 50% faster acceleration from 12 to 25mph than its petrol-powered counterpart. The New Abarth 500e is also faster outside of city driving, for example on hairpin bends, where from 25 to 37mph it can reach the target speed in just 1.5 seconds—much faster than its petrol version, which lags behind by 15 metres, reaching 37mph a second later.

Finally, on the open road, the full electric New Abarth 500e performs overtaking manoeuvres faster than its petrol version, reaching a speed of 62mph (starting from 37mph) when its petrol counterpart is still driving at 56mph, with a difference of approximately 1 second. To summarise, on ‘Misto Alfa’ Balocco’s track the New Abarth 500e beats the 695 by over a second.

Furthermore, the more responsive electric motor, a longer wheelbase, improved support due to widened track widths, and the better balance between the axles offer great handling and driving dynamics, providing the New Abarth 500e with a quicker response, better corner entry, and a higher cornering and exit speed.

The New Abarth 500e is equipped with a powerful 42 kWh battery coupled with a powerful e-motor, resulting in 113.7kW/155PS and combining the performance of the Scorpion with the innovation of electric mobility. In fact, it can reach 62mph from zero before you even realise it, in just seven seconds. It boasts of best-in-class acceleration, and, in the meantime, ensures zero emissions while driving.

In the end, the New Abarth 500e is “exciting and fast” precisely in those conditions where you can really have fun. And that’s how the brand has succeeded in uniting its enthusiasts with people who have never raced before. In fact, New Abarth 500e is aiming to enlarge the Abarth target market while still staying true to its roots and DNA.

Driving Modes: Turismo, Scorpion Street and Scorpion Track
Three exclusive driving modes are available, which focus on performance – Turismo, Scorpion Street and Scorpion Track – giving customers total freedom to fully enhance the sporty set-up and unleash the power of their Abarth in every challenge on the road.

Recharging speed
To minimise its charging time, the New Abarth 500e is equipped with the 85-kW fast-charging system to charge the car’s battery very quickly and guarantee never-ending fun. For example, all it takes is less than five minutes to build up a sufficient energy reserve for daily mileage requirements (up to 25 miles), which is less than the time it takes to choose your next destination. When in a hurry, the fast charge reaches up to 80% of the range in only 35 minutes.

Abarth keeps roaring: the immersive sound experience of the New Abarth 500e
For Abarth, sound has always been important. Beyond a simple technical feature, it has become a creative tool to express a distinctive and playful style. Furthermore, Abarth sound has always been synonymous with hardcore fun and excitement – a key and distinctive factor specifically designed to offer all the deep emotions that every Abarthist seeks when driving an Abarth. In addition to its high performance and bold style, the New Abarth 500e is the only small car which provides an immersive sound experience for those who want to drive electric without giving up on the famous and unmistakable Abarth roar, which has accompanied generations of passionate drivers and always been synonymous with power and performance.

In line with this philosophy, each time the car is turned on or off, the Key On-Off system reproduces a guitar inside the cabin – a sound that immediately gives users those sensations that can be experienced on board any Abarth. Even the AVAS (Acoustic Vehicle Alert System) gets a specific “jingle”, transforming a cold homologation and normative constraint into a sound recognisable by Scorpion fans. It is a “sound” that sets the New Abarth 500e apart from other electric cars. Plus, the first time you exceed 12mph, a “strumming guitar” reflects the transgressive and unconventional soul which is inherent in the genre and in the Scorpion‘s cars.

Finally, the New Abarth 500e is the first and only city car that can be equipped with the Sound Generator, for those who don’t want to give up on Abarth’s signature – the unmistakable Abarth “roar”. The Sound Generator accompanies the engine performance, faithfully reproducing the sound of an Abarth petrol engine. Designed to offer all the emotions that every Abarthist seeks when driving an Abarth, perfectly combining performance and sound, this innovative sound system gives a true Abarth driving experience.

The Sound Generator is offered as an alternative to the standard sound experience and comes with an AVAS which recalls the sound of a petrol engine – different from the standardized rustle with the guitar strum. Furthermore, when the New Abarth 500e is equipped with the Sound Generator, the key on-off system still reproduces a guitar inside the cabin each time the car is turned on or off. The Sound Generator can be turned on/off at the customer’s pleasure when the car is stationary.

The New Abarth 500e: new elements for a distinctive and bold sporty style
New design elements give the New Abarth 500e a unique yet bold style, taking inspiration from the past but also adding an even greater thrill to the whole driving experience. To give a clear picture of the new challenges and ambitions the brand is facing, Abarth has played with its logo, while staying true to the claim: “New era, same roots, same DNA.” The new modernised and electrified Scorpion signature logo makes its debut on the New Abarth 500e and projects the brand into a new era. And it’s not “just a signature”; it’s the union of performance and innovation, fun and sustainability. It is placed higher up and, together with the headlights and the grille, gives the car a look that tells you that nuts-and-bolts mean business. The New Abarth 500e stands out for its distinctive, high-performing, and bold sporty style and is dedicated to those who never give up on turning a drive into a fun experience.

Several distinctive elements on the exterior make the New Abarth 500e unique and eye-catching, such as the new dedicated front sporty bumper, the elusive and sporty lines of the lateral skirt, the cool white front DAM, the rear diffuser inserts, dedicated alloy wheels and the new Titanium Grey mirror caps. The sporty character of the New Abarth 500e is also enhanced by full LED front lighting with a new Abarth signature, front and rear disk brakes, 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 for the cabrio. The hatchback version is also equipped with rear privacy glass.

Style and sportiness find their fullest expression aboard the New Abarth 500e, as can be seen in several details: from the dark ambience of the pillars and headliner to the new Poison Blue strap for front seat folding. The alternation of fine materials and more sporty design elements creates a unique and exclusive combination in this market segment.  

The New Abarth 500e Scorpionissima: a fully equipped launch edition
Making its debut, the New Abarth 500e Scorpionissima is an exclusive, fully equipped, and eye-catching limited launch edition – the first electric Abarth ever. Produced in 1,949 units only, a number that pays homage to the brand’s birth year, it is the perfect synthesis between exclusivity and sportiness. It is available in both hatchback and convertible versions and comes in a new, exciting Acid Green or in a Poison Blue body paint. This new limited edition is the top of the range and is instantly recognisable by the Abarth side graphics.

The New Abarth 500e Scorpionissima is equipped with the exclusive 18” Diamond-Cut Titanium Grey alloy wheels, which bring the driver closer to the road with their holding performance and distinctive and sharp design, a fixed glass roof and rear privacy glass. It also comes with advanced sporty steel pedals and a kick plate with an engraved logo, which bring racetrack vibes and the reactivity of the cars that made Abarth’s history to the road, a new titanium Grey dashboard ring, and steel door sills plates with an Abarth lettering relief. The New Abarth 500e Scorpionissima comes in a thrilling Acid Green or Poison Blue body paint, two colours that further emphasize the bold and distinctive character of the new Scorpion, making it stand out from the pack on all roads.

The new sporty seats’ design is enriched with an embossed scorpion in Alcantara, a premium racing material that provides a dark sporty look and the highest comfort thanks to the integrated headrest with an Acid-Green Scorpion lasered on the Alcantara and sporty double stitching.

The exclusiveness yet sportiness of the materials can also be seen in the new Alcantara dashboard fascia that offers a unique feel, combining a lush aesthetic with a functional design, and perfectly matches the inserts of the steering wheel and the sporty seats. High-quality leather with Alcantara inserts and the Scorpion logo embellish the three-spoke sporty steering wheel which takes inspiration from the racing world to give customers the thrills of the race at first touch. Additionally, the premium door panels and central tunnel armrest present a sporty double stitching.

The New Abarth 500e Scorpionissima also comes with a closed central tunnel, heated front seats and Windscreen Wiper Blade Area, height adjustable driver seat, and 50/50 split folding rear seats. The contrast between the bright Acid Green colour of the exterior and the dark interiors enhances its distinctive and sporty style while the Poison Blue body paint further emphasizes the bold style of the New Abarth 500e.

The New Abarth 500e Scorpionissima is equipped as standard with the Uconnect™ Radio Touchscreen 10.25” with an integrated navigation system and the brand – new Performance Pages – a high-tech display with new exciting Abarth graphics. The Performance Pages have been specifically designed for the New Abarth 500e and allow customers to keep track of their performance as they unleash the excitement of the drive. Wireless Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ compatibility is also available.

The New Abarth 500e is the first vehicle of the Abarth range to offer a fully connected experience thanks to Uconnect Services, which give customers a complete driving experience with real time information and on-board security. All connected services can be also managed offboard through the dedicated Fiat mobile app.

Furthermore, the new all-digital 7” cluster gives all the information one needs – from speed to range, current driving mode, and battery status -without distracting the driver from the road.

When it comes to comfort, there are dusk and rain sensors, passive entry with new Abarth wearable key and keyless go, automatic climate control, automatic high low beam headlights, an electrochromic interior mirror, and wireless charger. Thanks to the advanced 360° drone view sensor system and the ultra-high-definition rear camera, which shows obstacles and the car’s trajectory on the 10.25” screen, perfect parking is a guarantee.

Finally, the refined and powerful JBL premium audio system is also included, offering the experience of a powerful sound with clean highs, roaring bass, and smooth mids to satisfy even the most discerning and sophisticated music fans. The Sound Generator also comes as standard equipment on the New Abarth 500e Scorpionissima.

The New Abarth 500e Scorpionissima is equipped with six airbags and the most advanced ADAS systems available for the most enjoyable driving experience without sacrificing safety:

A brand-new buying experience
Acceleration and rapid response also characterize the new Abarth business model, as every part of the experience must allow customers to feel the electric sensations of Abarth.

The customer experience of the New Abarth 500e will be paperless, online, and intuitive, which is in line with the brand’s strategy of simplicity and customer satisfaction. Customers will get a taste of the checkered flag right from the first click. All it takes is just a few minutes to make your choice and pre-book your car.

The new online buying experience will kick off on November 22, with the New Abarth 500e Scorpionissima Limited Edition. An exclusive one-month pre-booking phase will be dedicated to the Abarth community members only, as a special reward for their engagement in the co-creation of the New 500 through the web-based “Performance creators” project. 

Performance creators: the new Abarth has been co-created with its community
The Scorpion community has always been one of the brand’s cornerstones. It is a growing community with more than 160,000 Abarthists across the world. They show their affection for the brand, its history, and its founder with great pride, and get to experience the values of Style and Performance. It is like a big family which participates in every Abarth event and closely follows the creation of its future models. This led to the decision of inviting fans to not just drive down Abarth’s road, but also to help the brand draw the map. Abarth directly asked them for an opinion on what its future vehicles should be like.

The initiative, called “Performance creators” was a genuine success, with hundreds of thousands of community members having their say on the new sound and colours, and more calls to action to follow.

It is a way to get the entire Abarth community involved as the brand moves forward and a way to be exclusive, yet also inclusive, and, simultaneously, have even more fun.

Exit mobile version