Abarth confirms electric Italian hot hatch due in 2023

UPDATE, November 2022: 'Abarth New 500' electric hot hatch previewed

A first official teaser for the upcoming electric 2023 Abarth 500 – simply dubbed 'Abarth New 500' – has been handed down. Get all the details, and watch the teaser, at the link below.

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An all-electric Abarth hot hatch is on its way.

Fiat CEO Olivier François confirmed a zero-emissions Abarth model was set to launch in 2023, based on the electric 500 city car.

“A year and a half ago, I said it can’t be that hard [to make an Abarth version of the electric 500],” François told UK magazine Autocar.

“Electric cars are so fun to drive already. The good news is that we are actively working on it, and once it’s confirmed, it will be relatively quick.”

However, the Fiat boss said the car’s development was more complicated than anticipated, with the engineering team having to upgrade the entire car to handle the extra power and torque.

While no details of the electric Abarth have been revealed, a 0-100km/h sprint time in around six seconds (or less) is likely, to better the petrol-powered 595 Competizione.

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In late 2021, parent company Stellantis announced the Abarth performance brand would switch to a fully-electric line-up by 2024 – however, in recent days Abarth launched a variant of the Pulse crossover for the Brazilian market. It’s not clear whether the Abarth Pulse will be short-lived, or if the company’s deadline has been pushed out.

The electric Abarth hot hatch will almost certainly go head-to-head with the Alpine R5, which is expected to follow in 2024.