Overview
- Gaetano Thorel told PA the brand knows customers want a combustion option and that engineers are trying, with any plan proceeding only if the engine and power suit the badge.
- Reports indicate the new Fiat 500 Hybrid is being studied as a possible basis for a petrol or hybrid Abarth, though the project remains unconfirmed.
- Packaging and cooling challenges complicate any return to internal combustion because the 500e platform was not engineered to house an engine.
- UK registrations have slumped to 273 so far this year, down from 954 at the same point last year and far below 5,631 in 2018, according to SMMT data.
- No decision has been made, and the current Abarth 500e continues with a 42 kWh battery, a 155 bhp motor, a claimed 164-mile range and 85 kW DC fast-charging.