Abarth 500 could gain hot petrol variant
Latest Fiat 500 Hybrid could pave the way for a new generation of combustion-engined hot hatchbacks
The Abarth 500e could soon be reinvented as a petrol hot hatchback, according to the brand’s European boss. Using the recently announced Fiat 500 Hybrid as a base, it appears the maker is working on plans to offer its customers a “thermic engine” that would replace the now defunct Abarth 595 in the maker’s EV-only line-up.
Speaking at the launch of Fiat’s new petrol-powered 500 city car, Head of Fiat and Abarth in Europe, Gaetano Thorel, told Auto Express that “Abarth customers want a thermic engine”. He said the re-engineered electric platform has opened up new possibilities, and that Abarth is attempting to develop a suitable powertrain for the next-generation ICE hot hatch.
“We are trying,” he said. “But Abarth is more difficult [than Fiat]. But it’s also true to say that the Abarth population, they want a thermic engine. Not only for the power; Abarth customers buy the car and they modify the car. On the electric one you cannot. That is a limitation. On the electric one [owners] cannot put their hands on the engine and tune. So that’s why the Abarth club are not very happy with us.”
Recent adaptations to the 500e have allowed parent company Fiat to shoehorn a mild-hybrid 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine into the electric-first platform. But with just 64bhp and a 0-62mph time of 16.2 seconds, Thorel rejected the idea that this humble ‘Firefly’ engine had the performance potential to fulfill a role in Abarth’s future line-up.
The company would therefore need to find an engine from within the wider Stellantis group, or develop something bespoke, before fitting it into the 500’s already compact platform and engine bay. He acknowledged that the core car’s dimensions limit his options: “If you start going to a 1.4 four-cylinder, it doesn’t fit.”
The 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo offered in cars including the Vauxhall Corsa and Peugeot 208 could be an option, but even these would present dimensional difficulties. Yet Thorel insisted that there was an inherent desire for Abarth to re-enter the frame with a petrol hot hatchback: “We are working on it. If we find a way, we’ll do it,” he said.
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