Australian prices released for high performance Abarth electric hatchback

The first electric Abarth 500e ‘Scorpionissima” will land in Australia this year at a price of $60,500, plus on-road costs, the company says.

The Turismo trim will come in 2024 and is priced at $58,900 plus on-road costs.

Abarth, a former independent Italian car maker that was bought by Fiat and is now part of the Stellantis Group, debuted the two models in May, which are essentially sporty versions of the Fiat 500e, but only today revealed how much they will cost.

The pricing is near the top of what small electric hatchbacks are going for in Australia today, with the 15 current models on offer priced from $38,890 for the BYD Dolphin Dynamic, right up to $64,975 for the Mini Cooper SE Yours.

The electric Abarth model comes with some new perks and a throwback to its petrol history.

The company promises that aficionados will not be displeased by the sound effects in the zippy update on a Fiat 500, which uses a sound generator to reproduce the “iconic roar” of the Abarth engine.

The city runabouts will have a 42 kWh battery with a range up to 252km and support DC fast charging of up to 85kW.

Abarth says the electric motor, combined with a wider wheelbase and more torque, means the car is “more responsive, faster and arguably more enjoyable than its petrol-powered counterpart”.

The motor can put out 113.7 kW of power and a peak torque output of 235Nm, enough to push the 500e from zero to 100km/h in seven seconds.

The company will bring into Australia 219 hatchback models of the Scorpion this year – available in acid green or poison blue.

True attention seekers will be happy to note the Abarth decals will be colour matched with the lurid new exteriors, with black for the acid green edition and white for the poison blue model.

The Turismo will also be available in white, black and red as well as the new colour schemes.

Safety and autonomous driving features offered on the Abarth include a forward-facing camera for adaptive cruise control and active lane centring.

Dimensions-wise, this would be one of the smallest EVs to hit the Australian market so far. According to the ev-database, it sits at:

Length: 3,631 mm
Width: 1,683 mm
Height: 1,529 mm