Jonathan 12/6/22 Jonathan 12/6/22

Abarth goes electric: 500e EV super hatch roars to life

Revheads fear not; an optional artificial noise generator on the Abarth 500e allows you to menace the streets with raucous exhaust noises just as you might in a petrol model.

The Abarth 500e is a tough looking supermini, and will reach Australia and the US in late-2023. Images: Stellantis

Speaking at the media launch of the Abarth 500e and Fiat 500e for the US, Olivier Francois, FIAT & Abarth Chief Executive Officer and Global Chief Marketing Officer of Stellantis proclaimed that “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.”

Well, no. The current regulatory environment made you do it. Strict emissions standards in Europe, China and North America are becoming legislation, and OEMs are scrambling to source batteries for electric vehicles.

That aside, the Abarth 500e is a cool looking mini EV from a company with serious pedigree. For those unfamiliar with the brand, Abarth started in motor racing, establishing a strong relationship with FIAT in the 1950s. More recently, cars like the Fiat Abarth 124 Roadster and Abarth 500 range have attempted to channel this racing pedigree.

While Stellantis has provided only vague details at this stage, we know the Abarth 500e will be a fun car. The company claims performance that offers “50% faster acceleration from 12 to 25mph (19 to 40 km/h) than its petrol-powered counterpart”, however we can’t find a reference to this data range anywhere for the Abarth 695 petrol.

Abarth claims a more responsive electric motor over the regular 500e, a longer wheelbase, improved support due to widened track widths, and a better balance between the axles to improve dynamics. This should result in quicker response for the driver, and better cornering characteristics.

The Abarth 500e offers a 42kWh battery, with a single motor offering 113.7kW (155PS). Not exactly scintillating numbers, given the 500e is likely to be heavy. Abarth states that the 500e will hit 62mph (100km/h) from zero “before you even realise it”. No, I’m not joking, that’s in the press release.

Abarth 500e Image Gallery

Three driving modes are available, and the 500e car DC fast charge at up to 85kW. As pedestrian warning systems become mandatory around the world, Abarth has opted for a guitar sound; “a “strumming guitar” reflects the transgressive and unconventional soul which is inherent in the genre and in the Scorpion‘s cars”. Righteo.

Finally, if you really want to capture the experience of a petrol Abarth, there’s an optionally available “Sound Generator” that accompanies the engine performance, apparently reproducing the sounds of a petrol engine.

The Abarth 500e Scorpionissima Limited Edition is now on sale in Europe to Abarth community members, and the vehicle is expected to go on general sale early in 2023.

EV Brief 7/10/21 EV Brief 7/10/21

Stellantis hosts "EV Day", targeting best-in-class electric vehicles across all 14 brands

Stellantis, the parent company of brands including Fiat, Jeep, Citroën and Opel, has hosted its annual “EV Day”, presenting its electrification and investment roadmap for the coming decade.

Stellantis’ EV Day highlighted the automotive group’s future electrification plans.

Stellantis, the parent company of brands including Fiat, Jeep, Citroën and Opel, has hosted its annual “EV Day”, presenting its electrification and investment roadmap for the coming decade.

Stellantis has committed to offering fully electrified solutions across all 14 major brands, utilising four flexible electric-only vehicle platforms, and a family of three scalable electric drive modules and standardised battery packs.

The company noted that affordability is a priority across the group, as the company is targeting price parity with equivalent internal combustion engine vehicles by 2026. Stellantis’ marketing agency also conjured up a number of just plain puzzling statements which are supposed to express each brand’s electrification approach:

Abarth – “Heating Up People, But Not the Planet”

Alfa Romeo – “From 2024, Alfa Becomes Alfa e-Romeo”
Chrysler – “Clean Technology for a New Generation of Families”
Citroën – “Citroën Electric: Well-Being for All!”
Dodge – “Tear Up the Streets… Not the Planet”
DS Automobiles – “The Art of Travel, Magnified”
Fiat – “It’s Only Green When It’s Green for All”
Jeep® – “Zero Emission Freedom”
Lancia – “The Most Elegant Way to Protect the Planet”
Maserati – “The Best in Performance Luxury, Electrified”
Peugeot – “Turning Sustainable Mobility into Quality Time”
Ram – “Built to Serve a Sustainable Planet”
Vauxhall/Opel – “Green is the New Cool”
Commercial Vehicles – “The Global Leader in e-Commercial Vehicles”

Slogans are all well and good (though I’m not sure what, if anything, the above words achieve) but concrete plans and products are what counts.

Stellantis is working on four different platforms; STLA Small, STLA Medium, STLA Large, and STLA Frame. As previously mentioned, a completely modular solution allows for key components to be easily shared across platforms, including drive units and body options.

The platforms will use existing liquid-type battery technology, including a premium high energy-density option and a more affordable nickel cobalt-free alternative, and Stellantis plans to then introduce solid-state technology by 2026. While the company will rely heavily on outside battery suppliers initially, it will also build five battery plants across Europe and North America, and is aiming to reduce battery cost by more than 40 per cent over the next 3 years.

Dodge spriuks “emuscle”, but doesn’t reveal what’s under the cover.

Jeep’s new plug in hybrid Grand Cherokee begins the brand’s slow move to electrification.

For what was allegedly an EV day, Stellantis did not go into electrification plans for each brand. We know European brands in the portfolio already have fully electric models, and a firm commitment to ditch internal combustion engines by 2030 in the case of Fiat, but we also saw a commitment from brands such as Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler to accelerate the electrification of their model ranges.

Stellantis will invest more than 30 billion euros (approximately $35.6 bn USD/$47.5 bn AUD) on vehicle development through the next three years. A lot of this money will be spent on R&D across the group, as well as capital expenditure relating to battery and vehicle manufacturing facilities. Stellantis is also spending big on software, including on its joint venture deal with Foxconn to develop digital cockpits and in-car connected services.

Fiat’s electric only 500 has been a good seller for the brand in Europe.

EV Brief 10/27/20 EV Brief 10/27/20

Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot Citroën Merger Looks Set to Proceed

The European Commission looks set to approve the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Peugeot Société Anonyme (PSA) according to this report from Reuters. The US$38bn merger would create the worlds fourth largest auto manufacturing group, with a suite of brands including Fiat, Ferrari, Maserati, Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, Peugeot, Opel, Citroen DS and more.

One major sticking point for European regulators has been the estimated 35% market share of the European light van market by Stellantis. The company responded “To allay EU antitrust concerns, PSA has offered to strengthen Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp., with which it has a van joint venture, by ramping up production and selling it vans at close to cost price, people said. FCA and PSA will also allow their dealers in certain cities to repair rival brands.”

It’s expected that the merger will take 2-3 months to finalise, but should happen well before the offical February 2 2021 deadline.

Source: Reuters

Our opinion: COVID-19 has impacted carmakers significantly, with most revising down their unit sales figures for 2020 and their earnings estimates. FCA and PSA have a good foundation of EV research and development, as well as some good products on the market, but with consumers and government regulations alike demanding cleaner vehicles, billions of dollars will need to be spent by automakers over the coming 3-5 years to produce affordable electric vehicles.

The Volkswagen Group leads the way for legacy automakers in terms of EV R&D (partly due to penalties imposed as a result of the Dieselgate fiasco), and the ID.3 has received generally positive reviews since launch in Q2 2020. For other manufacturers to catch up to Volkswagen (let alone Tesla), It’s going to take a lot of money, and a merger of these two companies into Stellantis Group will allow for larger sharing of platform architecture and drivetrains, as well as manufacturing facilities. It may accelerate the electrification of all brands, and minimise the expensive purchase of regulatory credits to offset emissions from companies such as Tesla.

Fiat 500e. Image: REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo

EV Brief 10/26/20 EV Brief 10/26/20

Fiat's 500 Reimagined for an Electric Future

They say fashion trends are cyclical, and some 13 years after the first retro Fiat 500 was launched, Fiat has redesigned the city car with a purely electric drivetrain. The most striking design detail is in the 3 door variant, with its suicide-style rear door harking back to the original 1957 Nuova 500.

The new 500 line up comprises three variants; the Action, Passion and Icon, each with “a specific product mission” according to Fiat. The 3 door 500 3+1 is initially only available in the “la Prima” launch specification, which includes full-LED headlights, 360-degree parking sensors, adaptive cruise control and more. The la Prima 3+1 is available in Rose Gold (pictured), Glacier Blue and Onyx Black.

Prices in Italy start from €19,900 for the Action model, which includes a €6,000 government electric vehicle incentive. Link to the full press release here.