Abarth 500e

The Abarth 500e marked a major turning point for the brand, taking the electric Fiat 500e as its base and applying the same performance philosophy Abarth has used on gasoline models for decades. Stiffer suspension, quicker steering, and aggressive styling carry over from past Abarth hatches, but the drivetrain underneath is entirely new territory for the scorpion badge.

Because electric motors do not produce a traditional exhaust note, Abarth engineers built a synthesized sound system into the 500e to preserve some of the brand's signature aural character, letting the car retain a bit of the drama that has defined Abarth models since Carlo Abarth's earliest tuned Fiats. The instant torque of the electric motor also gives the 500e a different kind of punch than its turbocharged siblings, trading top-end wail for immediate off-the-line response.

The 500e represents Abarth's attempt to carry its small-car-big-personality identity into the electric era, proving that the scorpion badge can still mean something sharp and characterful even without a combustion engine under the hood.