2023 Abarth 500e EV Debuts with Fake Engine Noise

Abarth has unveiled their electric version of the 500 and yes, it has fake engine noise like that Daytona.




Fiat's high-performance brand Abarth recently updated the aging previous-generation, gasoline-fueled 500 for 2023 but this small hatchback painted in a striking color is an entirely different car. Being based on the latest iteration of the popular Italian model, it means there's no combustion engine under the hood. Instead, an electric motor drives the front wheels and offers more power than the regular EV wearing the parent company's badge.

While the Fiat 500 offers 117 horsepower and 162 pound-feet (220 Newton-meters) of virtually instant torque, the equivalent Abarth version ups the ante to 155 hp and 173 lb-ft (235 Nm). An extra 38 hp and 11 lb-ft (15 Nm) might not seem like a huge jump, but the electric hot hatch does 0 to 62 100 km/h (62 mph) in seven seconds or a full two seconds quicker than the regular EV.

Abarth ran some tests to see how much quicker the electric hatchback is compared to the 695 model and its turbocharged 1.4-liter gasoline engine. They claim it gets from 20 to 40 km/h (12 to 25 mph) a second quicker. A track comparison showed the EV was a second quicker around the Misto Alfa Romeo circuit than the Abarth 695.

The spicy 500e has been fitted with the larger of the two batteries available for the cutesy EV. It's a 42-kWh pack that can be charged at up to 85 kW. About 40 kilometers (25 miles) of range are available after keeping the car plugged in for five minutes while charging it for 35 minutes will replenish the battery to 80 percent.