Viva Italia! Abarth 600e is a 177kW Italian hot hatch aimed straight at Cupra Born

April 9, 2024April 6, 2024 John Mahoney 10452 Views 600e, abarth, Born, Cupra, ev, Scorpionissima

Abarth has fully revealed its incoming Abarth 600e as part of its 75th anniversary celebrations and announced it will be its most powerful car yet, pumping out a healthy 177kW.

Painted in a fetching shade of purple, the new Fiat 600e-based SUV features an aggressive body kit that includes a revised front and rear bumper and diffuser, plus a new roof spoiler and purposeful wider front and rear track, plus plenty of references to the brand’s trademark scorpion logo.

Inside, there’s another scorpion logo on the dash, plus a pair of figure-hugging sport seats Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel and an infotainment that gets Abarth-specific displays.

Like the Abarth 500e already on-sale in Australia, the latest member of the high-performance family gets a sound generator but now has a short cut for the driver to switch it off when not in the mood.

The big news is the Abarth 600e comes equipped with a punchy single motor that musters an impressive 177kW, although all that is channelled to just the front wheels.

The 600e sits on the Stellantis Group’s e-CMP platform that is also shared with cars like the Jeep Avenger and the Peugeot e-2008.

No performance figures have been released but it’s thought the Abarth 600e should be capable of a 0-100km/h dash of around 6.0 seconds, while a new limited-slip differential and stickier performance tyres from Hankook hint at athletic handling honed to rival quick EVs like the Cupra Born and fastest Tesla Model 3 models.

Expected to come equipped with a 51kWh battery, it’s thought the range of the latest Abarth 600e will hover around 400km.

More details are expected in the coming weeks following the Abarth 600e’s official launch in June.

When it’s introduced Abarth says it will unleash a new Abarth 600e Scorpionissima launch edition that will be limited to 1949 units – a reference to the year the brand was founded.

The Abarth 600e is based on the Fiat 600e which is unlikely to be sold in Australia. We’re crossing our fingers for the Abarth 600e.