The return of petrol-powered Abarths is in Europe's hands: here are the technical... and financial explanations!

While the first press tests of the new Fiat 500 hybrid are currently occupying motoring journalists across Europe, another question has quickly become the focus of all discussions: what's to become of the new Fiat 500 hybrid? Abarth ? While Fiat has officially turned the page on all-electricity by reintroducing a combustion engine under the hood of its iconic city car, the situation for the Scorpio brand remains far less clear.

Today, Abarth offers only two models in its catalog: the 500e and the 600e. On paper, the performance is there. But in reality, the magic is gone. No roar, no smell of petrol. And above all, prices deemed excessive: €36,900 for an Abarth 500e, €44,900 for a 600e. Add to this a range deemed too short for multi-purpose use, with around 250 km for the 500e and 320 km for the 600e in real life. The market verdict is in: sales have collapsed.

The mirage of a return to thermal energy

Since the launch of the Fiat 500 hybrid, every press conference has turned into a question-and-answer session on the future of Abarth. Journalists were quick to question Gaetano Thorel, European boss of Fiat and Abarth.

His answer, both cautious and pregnant with meaning, quickly made the rounds of the motoring press: he too would like a return to petrol... and "they're trying". This immediately raised hopes of a "new generation" thermal Abarth. A few days later, however, we revealed that the existence of a real technical impasse. So the question is no longer just if a thermal Abarth is desirable, but especially if it's still possible.

The heart of the Fiat 500 hybrid, where it all comes together

While testing the new Fiat 500 hybrid, we had the opportunity to speak directly with Francesco Morosini, Abarth Product Manager, who was on hand to explain how a combustion engine could be reintegrated into a platform originally designed for electric vehicles.

Fiat's technical choice is far from trivial. The 1.2 PureTech engine simply doesn't fit under the hood of the 500. It's too big, and incompatible with the platform's specific architecture. As for the TwinAir engine, once emblematic of the Group, it has not been produced for many years. This left only one real option: the FireFly engine, also known as the GSE. An Italian engine, still in production, already tried and tested, and above all renowned for its exceptional reliability, with a claimed failure rate of less than 0.3 %. This is the engine that powers the new Fiat 500 hybrid. Technically, the evidence is crystal clear: this engine is perfectly capable of handling more power. Francesco Morosini has confirmed that it is possible to add a turbo. There's plenty of room. But that's where the problems begin.

The invisible wall: the CO₂

Introducing a supercharger system would require a complete overhaul of the cooling system. Larger radiators, better ventilation, new air flows. Nothing insurmountable from an industrial standpoint. But there's another, far heavier obstacle hanging over the project: CO₂.

Already today, to meet the Euro 6e bis standard, Fiat has had to reduce the output of the FireFly engine by 5 horsepower. And despite this, the Fiat 500 hybrid boasts CO₂ emissions of 120 g/km. Problem: for 2025, the average limit imposed on manufacturers in Europe is set at 81 g/km. Exceeding this is severely punished: €95 per excess gram, per car sold. In concrete terms, the Fiat 500 hybrid already exceeds this threshold by 25 grams. The result: a penalty of €2,375 for Stellantis on each model sold in Europe. And that's even before considering national environmental taxes. On an Abarth, the bill becomes completely outrageous.

The impossible financial equation

In 2022, under the Euro 6 standard, a 165hp Abarth emitted around 153g/km of CO₂. Applied to 2025 tax rules, this would represent... €6,840 in European penalties for each car sold. Let's take a realistic projection. A 2022 Abarth 695 Competizione, at 164 g/km, applied to the current scale, would give this: €32,990 list price + €7,885 CO₂ penalty for Stellantis + around €7,959 ecological malus in France in 2025. Result: almost €49,000 for a sporty city car. At this price level, the model definitely falls outside the logical market for Abarth, which has always claimed accessible, lively, exciting sports cars.

Technically yes, fiscally no

Reassuring speeches are no match for brutal figures. Yes, it is technically possible to produce a new thermal Abarth. But no, it's no longer fiscally possible to sell it. The margin for manoeuvre is virtually nil. Light hybridization doesn't offer sufficiently low emissions. European taxes make it economically unviable. Until regulations change radically, no manufacturer will dare launch a modern combustion-powered Abarth for the European market.

Gaetano Thorel's phrase "we're trying" sounds more like an admission of powerlessness than a promise. In reality, the real decision-maker is no longer in Turin... but in Brussels. Either the European Union will review its doctrine on niche thermal sports cars, or we'll have to wait for the next generation of electric Abarths, which could be expected around 2030, at a lower price and with greater range.

But for us at Italpassion, our conclusion is clear: Abarth's combustion-powered chapter is now closed. The brand will have to reinvent itself as an electric car... or disappear.