Abarth enters 2026 with one certainty and several questions

A Abarth enters 2026 with one certainty and several unanswered questions. The certainty is in the figures: sales fell sharply in 2025, dropping by around 74% (figures to November) compared with the same period in 2024.

The questions concern the direction it will take after its commitment to an all-electric range fell well short of the scorpion brand’s commercial expectations.

Having permanently closed the internal-combustion-engine chapter in 2024, Abarth put its faith in the electric 500e and 600e as the foundations of a new identity. On paper, this approach appeared consistent with Stellantis’s stated strategy and Europe’s regulatory timetable. In reality, the sales figures have revealed a far more difficult situation, bringing options back into consideration that seemed to have been ruled out until recently.

Abarth combustion and hybrid options remain possible

The prospect of Abarth returning to combustion or hybrid powertrains has already been publicly acknowledged by Gaetano Thorel, FIAT and Abarth’s European director. He made the comments on the sidelines of the presentation of the FIAT 500 Hybrid - which we have already driven - last November, marking the city car’s return to combustion power.

For now, however, those comments amount only to intentions, with no defined product plan in place for the coming years.

From a technical perspective, a return to combustion is not impossible. The Abarth 600e’s platform supports multiple energy sources, while FIAT adapted the 500 platform, originally designed exclusively for electric power, to accommodate combustion engines. For the Abarth 500e, though, this could prove commercially unviable. A larger, more powerful engine would require additional cooling, creating constraints that could demand a more extensive - and considerably more expensive - conversion.

Abarth 600e Competizione has already arrived

For the moment, the brand’s programme remains unchanged, focused entirely on managing its current electric range. In this context, the only confirmed Abarth arrival scheduled for 2026 - hopefully not the only one - is the Abarth 600e Competizione, which is already available to order in Portugal from €45,700.

Replacing the limited-run Scorpionissima special edition, it becomes the flagship model and the most powerful production Abarth ever built. It matches the Scorpionissima’s 207 kW (281 cv) - while the range begins with the 600e Turismo, producing 175 kW (238 cv) - reaches 100 km/h from rest in 5.85s, and uses a mechanical Torsen limited-slip differential to keep “everything in line”. Further highlights include high-performance brakes with Alcon monobloc callipers and bespoke Michelin tyres.

600e Competizione design and equipment

Inside, it receives Sabelt seats, Alcantara trim and an overtly sporting atmosphere. Outside, the 600e Competizione can be specified with two-tone paintwork and exclusive graphics.

A potentially decisive year for Abarth’s future

As a result, 2026 is likely to be a quiet year for Abarth in terms of new models, yet it could be strategically crucial. Antonio Filosa, Stellantis’s chief executive, will unveil a new group strategy during the first half of the year, when more details should also emerge about the future of the marque founded by Carlo Abarth.