SPOTTED: 2024 Abarth 500e BEV Performance City Car!

There is a lot of work going on beyond the scenes at Stellantis, involving the Abarth brand. The performance arm of FIAT, recently announced that it was returning to the Brazilian market with the introduction of the 2023 Abarth Pulse SUV. It also announced huge future plans to move to 100% electrification in the European marketplace by 2024, at Stellantis’ EV Day 2021 presentation in July 2021.

It didn’t take long for the automotive world to assume, that an all-electric Abarth model based on the 500e was in the works. And although nothing has been officially announced by the automaker, some interesting new images have appeared on the interwebs, showing us that development was well underway.

A prototype captured by our friend Walter Vayr (@GabetzSpyUnit) shows what at first glimpse looks like a run-of-the-mill 500e, but upon further glance is in fact a development mule for a new Abarth 500e. 

Wearing a set of 17-inch aluminum wheels from the former Alfa Romeo Mito Quadrifoglio Verde and featuring a sign in the rear passenger side window with the text “332 BEV Abarth”, confirms what we thought. The “332” number is the platform code for the third-generation 500e.

The current gasoline-powered Abarth 595 Competizione can do 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 6.7 seconds. The 595 Competizione is powered by a turbocharged 1.4-liter “T-Jet” inline-four-cylinder engine delivering 180 horsepower and 184 lb.-ft. (250 Nm) of torque. Compared to the third-generation 500e, which features a 117 horsepower (87 kW) and 162 lb.-ft. (220 Nm) of torque-rated e-motor and 42kWh battery can complete the same run in about 9-seconds. So there is a lot of room for improvement.

We can’t wait to see what happens with the Scorpion brand over the next year. With the movement toward electrics, we hope that FIAT North America reconsiders the 500e and its Abarth variant for the United States and Canada. Sadly, it wouldn’t hurt the brand’s performance in the two markets.

Abarth 500e BEV #M 001 Prototype Image Gallery:

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