Performance brand to ditch petrol power: End of combustion engines announced by Abarth as Fiat's sporty brand goes electric only in blow for lovers of the Hyundai i20 N and Volkswagen Polo GTI

Fiat’s high-performance division Abarth will no longer use combustion engines in its cars and switch entirely to electric motors, the Italian brand’s boss has announced.

Speaking to British motoring website Autocar, Fiat and Abarth’s European Head, Gaetano Thorel, said rising road taxes placed on cars with combustion engines were making prices too high for consumers.

“If you make a combustion sports hatch that emits 180g/km and you are in Italy, you have to pay between €1000 (A$1630) and €2000 (A$3260) road tax every year,” he said.

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“Is it fair when I can give customers an electric sport hatch that behaves in the same way, has the same level of enjoyment and equivalent performance? All at the same price? I think it’s better to offer electric cars.”

Currently the only models in the Abarth global range are variations of the tiny Fiat 500 three-door hatch with the 595 and 695 both being combustion powered while the 500e and 600e are electric vehicles.

More than just different badges and a sporty body kit, Abarth takes regular Fiat models and tunes or changes engines and motors to produce higher outputs while re-engineers suspension for better handling to give its models better performance. 

The regular Fiat 500 for example has a 1.2-litre four cylinder engine making 51kW and 102Nm, while the Abarth has a 1.4-litre turbo petrol four making 132kW and 250Nm. The 500e has an electric motor making 87kW and 220Nm, while the Abarth version makes 113kW and 235Nm.

Thorel also told Autocar an Abarth version of the Fiat Panda SUV shown in concept form last year could also be on the cards.

“To me, Abarth can be developed on anything as long as it has Abarth DNA,” he said. “I personally don’t see a limit on Abarth cars just being A-segment or B-segment hatchbacks. If the SUV is possible, then why not?”

In Australia the only new Fiat models that can be bought are the electric 500e and petrol 500, with the Abarth versions being the 500e and 695 petrol. Year-to-date sales of all four combined are at 466 to the end of October.