We’ve seen a few Abarth-branded vehicles here in the States, but the Italian performance shop has a long line of vehicles that never graced our shires. The latest might be the 600e, or Scorpionissima, an all-electric hatchback with ties to the vintage Fiat 600 from decades ago.
The 600e is a production car, though a limited one, with numbers capped at 1,949 units. Its Hypnotic Purple paint job and Formula E-derived tires give it the look and grip of a legit performance car, and Abarth said it will be its most powerful vehicle yet. Underneath, the car features an electric powertrain making 240 horsepower, which should be more than enough to make it feel extremely lively.
Fiat’s parent company, Stellantis, has been relatively slow in bringing new EVs to the U.S. market, but things are starting to heat up. Jeep has an electrified Wagoneer coming later this year, and the Recon SUV is expected soon. Alfa Romeo and Dodge have twin plug-in hybrid models with the Tonale and Hornet, and Dodge will unveil its electric muscle car in about a month.
The Italian government has pressured Stellantis to localize more production within the country, but competing priorities with U.S. tax credits and other supply chain challenges may make that difficult. It’s unclear, perhaps unlikely if we’ll see the 600e, but the market needs smaller, more affordable EVs to sustain itself.
[Image: Abarth/Stellantis]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
