November 29, 2025 – Stellantis Group’s sporty brand Abarth is mulling over a return to the gasoline – powered vehicle market. There are plans to potentially develop a high – performance pocket rocket based on the all – new Fiat 500 Hybrid. Gaetano Thorel, the European head of the brand, revealed during an interview with Autocar on November 26 (local time) that this plan is under serious evaluation.
After discontinuing the 595 and 695 models in August 2024, Abarth fully shifted its focus to an electric vehicle lineup. However, customer feedback on the two electrified “pocket rockets”, the 500e and 600e, made the brand realize a problem. Abarth’s core customers not only demand power but also care deeply about the ability to modify their vehicles by themselves, a need that electric cars simply can’t meet. Thorel said that many hard – core car enthusiasts were disappointed because they couldn’t get their hands on the engine and fuel system.
According to reports, in the UK this year, Abarth sold only 273 vehicles, a sharp decline compared to 954 units in the same period last year and far from the 5,631 units sold in 2018.
Thorel mentioned that the new platform, which is an evolution of the 500e, theoretically has the capacity to handle higher power outputs. But the 1.0 – liter naturally aspirated three – cylinder engine in the 500 Hybrid, with just 64bhp, is neither powerful nor suitable for Abarth in terms of character. It takes 16.2 seconds to accelerate from 0 – 100km/h, making it one of the slowest small cars on the market.
Since this platform was originally designed for the pure – electric 500e, the space for installing an engine is limited, and the cooling area is also restricted. Fitting a larger gasoline engine into it poses a huge challenge. Moreover, recovering the cost of developing a niche performance vehicle is another difficult issue.
Despite these numerous challenges, Thorel stressed that the team is working hard to assess the feasibility. More importantly, his statement implies that Abarth may break away from its established path of only offering electric vehicles.
