Wanted to compliment you on how you do product integration on the show. You're doing it yourself naturally as part of the video, rather than voiceover. The product endorsement is part of you looking at the car. The product you're endorsing is natural to your audience. I normally skip these things in videos, but watching you do it is actually watchable - and that is absolutely high praise.
Yes, the car looks great but the range means that it’s not really useable unless you live in the pits at Silverstone. It’s a nice toy but the sound affects are ridiculous and I really hope they can be disabled. Starting at £38k… WTF!
Exactly why bother. Enjoy the lighter and faster piston engine and put the money away and use it for fuel. With 97mph top speed it isn't going to be faster at many tracks!
I expect buyers of this version are limiting their shopping to an EV more than they're limiting their shopping to an abarth. In that context this makes more sense as EV's ain't cheap and this stands out. I expect this will sell well and that is what ultimately determines the commercial sanity of the pricing.
I haven't read the comments as I'm always catching-up with these quality videos. I would paint the lower front grilles in black to visually lower the appearance. I'd had the idea of a sound generator many years ago - I want a car to have a great soundtrack, but I don't wish to force passersby to share in the noise. Simply pipe it into the cabin and I'd be happy with my V12 Fabia! Thanks for another great launch, Jonny 👍
I like the car, and I bet it will be a hoot to drive. Even the synthesis sound is ok but I draw the line at the guitar riff, it’s just too much like Bill and Ted… I’d have to say ‘Excellent’ every time I heard that.
Hot hatches are supposed to be a bit of fun. Like the tartan seats on a Golf GTI or the wings on a Honda R. I like it. It would bring a smile on someone's face when you pass them, kids will love it. Exactly how it needs to be.
I reckon engine sound 'ringtones' will become a common feature on EVs in the future. Any EV could sound like any ICE engine. They could also have the torque & power characteristics of any car too. Think Gran Turismo garage, but for real. After all, what do petrolheads really like? The sound and character of an engine, or looking at it...? Sadly, the 500e, and particularly this Abarth, are priced as the polar opposite from the original intention of the original 500 pricing & market... There are no EVs priced for the 'ordinary' buyer, a huge gap in the market.
No bloody wonder you kept the pricing till the very end, would have switched off at the beginning had we known! I bet the MG4 Mugen with 4wd and 400bhp isn't even that much! Fiat have lost the plot!
As an abarth driver, I think it looks great and is quite a desirable thing. Not sure on the hilarious sound effects but fear the biggest issue is the price (considering this is a small hot hatch). Don't think it could ever be as magic as the piston car, but a cool EV. Great vid as always Johnny!
I don't know... maybe it's because I'm half British, half Italian, but that looks drop-dead gorgeous to me. Better in the green than the blue, but both are great looking. I've had the odd post-rust era Fiat [Tipos] and enjoyed their fun. I feel like I want that little Abarth Electric like I wanted a Triumph Bonneville, but I was 5 years old at the time, or a Garrard 401/SME 3009 when I was a young teenager [hifi nerds only need apply to that dream]. Exciting BEV times.
I live in Los Angeles and I had a 2012 500c. Frankly, I loved that car and I was so sorry to see Fiat pull it from the US market. I don't suppose they will be returning with this version, but I wish they would.
Fiat will sell the new 500e ( not the Abarth) in first quarter of 2024. In select cities. Hopefully it goes well and we get to see the Abarth version eventually.
With motors being so compact, it would be nice if they put it in the rear with RWD, that would really make a point of difference with it's competitors. The only space lost would be the place the cables are kept, but a small frunk could replace that. Then it could have "drift mode" lol.
I love abarths, I had the punto evo for 10 years. Main issue now with abarths. Not enough selection, not enough bhp... I just see this is limited to 96mph!! What the hell is that about!
No mistaking, it’s an Arbarth and that’s good. Everyone says ‘The problem with is electric is that it doesn’t sound real’ well now they do, if it works properly that’s really good. Noise when you want it, silent when you don’t. That rock jingle will get turned off and never back on. Looks a great little city car to me.
How times have changed back in the day you would be looking at things like the Renault Clio Williams or 205 GTI to get in the sub 8 seconds now a lot of EV cars will have no problem getting to the sub 8 seconds Keep up the good work
That’s only a straightline. A hot hatch is made for attacking corners if you didn’t know.. a electric with the same power is never gonna beat a combustion engine round a track
Why would someone who wanted an electric car, want one that sounds like an engine and why would someone who likes the sound of an engine want an electric car?
Nope. I just bought a brand new 1000cc Yamaha because I actually want to go fast and be excited. It doesn't need a noise generator, but Yamaha and Akrapovic combined forces to give it one anyway and I hear frantic metal music in my head whenever I ride it due to dopamine and adrenaline overload. The best thing is the £23,000 change I got from the purchase price of one of these Fiats, enough to buy another bike the same and spend a month in the Maldives. And a smart meter won't be able to tell me I'm not using my bike today in my 15 minute neighbourhood.
As a long time owner of a custom Abarth, the one thing I feel is lacking with such EVs is the ability to tune their engines. While this EV is reportedly faster round a track, when compared to a standard 695, it would not have a chance keeping up with a non standard tuned and customised version. Despite that, if I was in the market to buy a hot hatch EV then this would be the one I would go for.
Sort of ... but some EVs do have "track mode" options and "acceleration boost" options some do have 3rd party produced hardware/software components providing more power (though these will obviously risk voiding warranty but that's the same for ICE cars too). All cars can potentially benefit from any suspension damping, brakes upgrades of course. As more cars become out of warranty no doubt people will start doing more serious tinkering! I don't think EV need be the end of customised cars ... but we'll see over time.
@@spacehopper77 Hey, aren't you a genius! Well spotted. Never thought of that. You definitely won that argument. (Oh, BTW, big turbos are a great way to ruin the responsiveness of an engine and nitrous is just a great way to ruin an engine.)
It’s about £6k too expensive, I’d rather go for the slightly slower (7.9s) MG4 from £29k… or hold out for the MG4 Sport with a reported 4s 0-62, and starting at £35k coming later this year
they’re clearly at least partly pricing for the badge. If you’re a Fiat/Abarth fan you’re probably willing to pay a little more than you would for an MG4. If you’re looking solely practically the standard Fiat500e is way cheaper. I wish they’d bring the smaller battery 500e back as we don’t need the range for a second car
I rented a fiat 500 back in 2016 and loved it for it's ease of parking. Motorway driving at 70mph felt a bit horrible and a bit noisey. I could consider this car in black or a red black combo. 0-62mph at 7 secs isn't too shabby
Can't help but think Abarth could've gone even further with this car. A bigger motor doesn't cost all that much more and I am skeptical it (and the extra cooling) would've taken up all that much more space. Maybe a hotter Abarth is in the future?
Sound effects turned off for me, that's absolutely awful. The rest of it however? I think that would be the perfect electric car for me. Small city car, hopefully fun to drive, decent range and fast charging. That's the way EVs can be desirable, not the massive cars with huge batteries. The cabrio would probably add to the fun as well. Now let's see if Honda makes a Type R e...
As current 595C owner I think they’ve missed the point with this, you may as well paint the 500 electric lime green and stick an Abarth badge on it, oh wait they have! 😂
I've worked on electric vehicle projects since 2015 and have heard so many different EVs with cool/futuristic electric motor noises, it's a crime OEMs are still synthesising engine noises - and shows they're not really fully committed to EVs imo
It's ridiculous, and I absolutely love it. I recently owned a 2019 595 Turismo, the most fun car I've ever owned. Would love to get myself one of these EV Abarths!
I have a 500e, love it, not a fan of the sound generator, only for pedestrians up to a certain speed, but it’s not an engine so let’s not pretend it is, it’s better, it’s a motor.
They've ruined it, with push button gear select rather than a more sporty knob and a hateful electronic hand brake they've taken what was a nippy and fun little car and turned it into a laptop. Real drivers want the old school feel and sporting connected driving experience. If they wanted to drive a car that feels like playing a game they would buy a PC and do that as it's cheaper. Edit. Nearly 40 grand for that? It is pretty much a shrunk down Teala with different badges. The whole point of the Fiat 500 it was simple and cheap motoring in a fun little car. This isn't simple, nor cheap nor driver focused like a more basic car. Only 155 mile range for that price? It is too much money, too many electronic toys and not close enough to it's predecessor. This is why people are put off EV's.
I really wished it had around 200hp, maybe with rear engine and traction, guess it would have been too expensive to develop and buy. But at least more power...
I had a 2015 Abarth and would like one in electric. On my 2015 I removed the back seats and placed a delete kit turning it into a legitimate two-seater sports car which gave me much more room in the boot. I prefer the blue colour but the yellow is nice, too. I would probably not use the artificial sound because I would want to hear music but it would be nice to have on occasion.
Hi mate love your work. I recently bought a mug from you guys And it was delivered broken , the speed your team sorted it out was Impressive. Thanks for what you do and I look forward to Watching your show Wale drinking out my new mug . 👍👍👍👌
I'm feeling a resurgence of those magazine adds where you can add the crazy frog noises for your EV or choose to make your Abarth sound like it has an a series engine
Thank god, an electric car that's painted a bright colour and wont silently scare the living hell out of me when I'm trying to cross the street at night
So a Chevy Bolt, has 200hp(149kw), 266 lb-ft(361nm) 259mi range ~$26,000. So the least desirable, cheapest electric car sold in the US, is quicker than the quick Fiat? Nothing would put a smile on my face quicker than easily passing a Green/Blue Abarth ev.
Dear god. That rock guitar sound was Carlo Abarth spinning in his grave! Seriously though, I'm concerned they've missed a trick here. I bought a Mini E primarily because out of all of the small evs, which mostly drive like rather dull shopping trolleys- bouncing around B roads with little to no road feel- the Mini drives brilliantly, felt grown up yet lively, has quick steering and is quicker in reality than on paper (I get 6.8 / 7 seconds 0-60). I have been a car guy for ever and assumed that EVs would be the death of hot hatches, the mini has taught be that doesn't have to be the case. If you set a car up well it doesn't matter if theres no sound, the experience of quick steering combined with good regeneration and lively performance, makes a cracking little hot hatch. However, I can't see this Abarth achieving that. Unless the engineers have focussed on those essentials, I can't see this replacing my Mini. Gimmicks galore and seemingly aimed at the sort of person who likes to look 'sporty' rather than experience an entertaining drivers car. Oh and the elephant in the room- THAT PRICE!!! When you can buy a new Mini E, which betters this Abarth in pretty much every dept (inc range, the mini will actually do its quoted 145 mile range, I can't see this doing that), why would anyone in their right mind spend
I love it , I'm also a fan of the Cupra Born, I've promised myself my first EV is definitely the Born, the electric Abarth may well be my second, however if I come into some big money I'm having a Taycan even if it's just the base spec Turbo lol.
I'm not typically a fan of the 500 but I actually quite like this. That said, of all these similarly priced EV 'hot hatches' I'd still take the Cupra Born.
What an absolute hoot of a car - love it...! And love the sound generator system, too - hopefully, that's gonna appease those die-hard petrol-heads who love the emotional connection of engine sound vs speed in their hot-hatches. 🤘 But, holy crap... £38k...??? 😵
Me too and £41K for the rag top. I test drove the La Prima version of the standard 500E convertible and liked it a great deal but that was over £30K and £550/month on lease as in just too expensive to get any cost saving benefit from it so had to pass. Dodge are going to do all that engine revving synthesiser stuff on their EV Hellcat apparently. If it needs to make a loud noise at least have it sound like a spaceship, the real petrol heads aren’t going to convert to EV because of some audio fakery. Just insecurity from the manufacturers IMO😂
@Back In The Day 2 that’s the issue. The lease companies are assuming a high level of depreciation on EVs and together with the high purchase price they’re a no go for many. Reliability I’m not so sure over time. EVs have a lot less reciprocating and rotating components and are easier on the brakes etc with the regen. Having said that Honda build quality is rock solid!
You're on a roll lately Johnny! Love the abundance of content. I do hope it's available in classic Abarth colors. The green looks amazing, but I'm a sucker for the classics.
Waiting for this or the next gen Mini Cooper SE here in the US. Sounds like next year might be the year. Amazing it’s taken this long to make a electric hot hatch that mostly checks my boxes. Range is a bit tight but maybe not a dealbreaker.
Neither this nor the Fiat 500e are planned to come to the US. Sorry. The Mini is the only one in the comparison still coming to the US. The Smart Fortwo EQ was removed from the US as well
There's some really good hot hatch EVs out or on their way. I'd like to see a revised Honda e, I know there's a new MINI EV coming out. The Cupra Born and Peugeot 208 are great options too. Personally I would wait for the Renault 5 or Alpine version instead of this Abarth.
Pretty little thing that will upset the fossil fuel dinosaurs - but why do so many cars have gangsta glass now? I hate it because it makes it difficult to see the road ahead through another car - or indeed pulling out in car parks when adjacent to one. However, I wish Fiat every success with it!
I'm wondering if manufacturers are intentionally pricing most folks out of the market in order to maintain the profit margins on EVs? Gone are the days of the Fiesta Popular which provided an affordable entry into new car ownership.
The idea of the equivalent of four kettles boiling nonstop for four hours to charge a car that's £40k from the get-go seems crazy to me unless you own a wind turbine or solar farm leaves me cold... Clearly I'm not the target market but I imagine it'll go down a storm with those who have little grasp of average incomes...
Cool looking car. What really puts me off is the range of both the Abarth 500e and the standard fiat 500e is the low range. Without a minimum range of at least 300 miles (+/- 25 miles) or around 500km an electric car becomes a city car that cannot be used for long journeys or longer distance drives. Furthermore without the range why would you purchase this over something cheaper and actually designed to be a city car like a Renault Twizy or a Smart Car?
Looks Cool , the soundtrack is fun for those inside the car , tiresome for those outside. I hope Pietro tests the car out thoroughly on British B roads and then makes some appropriate tyres available 😂
