The unveiling of the first electric model by Abarth is a crucial moment for the Stellantis brand most associated with genuine and popular sportiness. For this reason, the stylistic revolution begins with the logo itself unveiled with a new graphic look: stylized, monochromatic and “binary” in the version shown on the sides, with the same motif of the Abarth lettering almost encrypted in the decorative bands running along the sides of the “Scorpionissima” launch version of the car. The brand founded by Carlo Abarth in 1949 has, like all brands with a strongly sporty connotation now converted to electric, the task of expressing its performance and connection with tradition by doing without characteristic elements such as exhausts, grilles and air intakes.
On the new Abarth 500e the work of the team led by François Leboine, head of Fiat and Abarth design since June 2021, therefore focused on the front end, starting with bumpers with more pronounced shapes, car skirts and a rear extractor finished in cool white. Elements that “emphasize its presence on the road”, although overall size and shape are identical to those of the 500e from which it is derived. The ventilation grille has a honeycomb pattern that goes closed at the sides, pandering to the need to seal the compartment for the benefit of aerodynamics rather than to let air in, one of the many inversions that electrics impose for reasons of functionality.
Different, however, is the approach to the interior, which instead of essential sportiness offers an almost “haute couture” sophistication. This is effectively demonstrated by the Scorpionissima, whose seats and panels are distinguished “by the extensive use of Alcantara, processed and packaged, however, with a method closer to that of a handcrafted product than to the one typical of industrial production.” The final touch is in the dedicated graphics of the instrument display, which echo the yellow of the logo and the blue used in details such as the webbing to fold down the front seatbacks.
Olivier Francois: “The future? Still based on small Fiat cars”
All Stellantis Group brands have growth as their goal, but Abarth aims to do so without abandoning its historical area of expertise. This was reiterated by Olivier Francois, Chief Executive Officer of Fiat & Abarth and Global Chief Marketing Officer of Stellantis: “The Abarth range will continue to be linked to Fiat products and to operate in the 500 market area. It is unthinkable to see it associated with other brands”.
