The hot new Abarth 600e will get a 278bhp range-topper and a £37k starting price

Fresh details for the hot new Abarth 600e - Abarth's most powerful car - have emerged and among them a confirmation of the key specs: 235bhp/255lb ft, 0-62mph in 6.2s, a top speed of 124mph and an electric range of 207 miles. And, yes, it will get an artificial noise generator.

Price? £36,975, which is around four grand more than a standard 600e. Or, if you’ve got an extra five lying around, Abarth will sell you its ‘Scorpionissima’ launch edition which boosts power to 278bhp and deboosts the production count to 1,949 cars (referencing Fiat’s founding year).

Regardless of the version chosen, customers will get a stiffer suspension set-up, a reinforced chassis and a Torsen limited-slip diff.

Abarth has also confirmed a set of Formula E-derived Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres will be bolted on, behind which you’ll find 380mm monobloc racing brakes from Alcon. Weight is being targeted at 1.6-tonnes.

Looks quite mean, too. The taut panels, dark skid plates and ‘shark nose’ front do their bit to add drama. The whole car squats lower down too and has a larger track by 30mm at the front and 25mm at the back. We’re not sure about the semicircle headlights though, which make it look half asleep.

Otherwise, it’s good showing everywhere else: 20in diamond alloys, a thick rear wing and diffuser which went through proper wind tunnel testing, and up to four colour choices including Acid Green and Venom Black. Surely Abarth missed a beat by not offering ‘Spidey Red’?

We’ve got a few more details about the interior too, where the steering wheel will get bits of Alcantara, and the bucket seats will get scorpion patternation. Abarth will also include ambient lighting, a 10.25in infotainment screen and a six-speaker audio kit. It’s also made it a thing to mention the 600e will come with a USB type A+C cable. Big score, that.

Tech-wise, you’ll get three driver modes to configure the various power and aggression settings: ‘Turismo’, ‘Scorpion Street’ and ‘Scorpion Track’. These will adjust torque delivery and top speed while recalibrating the throttle response, steering and traction from ‘Mum, I’m going to Tesco’ to ‘Mum, I’m going to Tesco’s roundabouts’.

Level 2 ADAS has been built-in too, with features like automatic braking and ‘Drowsy Driver Detection’ included. Perhaps the latter ought to be used on the 600e’s eyes to wake it up a bit? ChatGPT will also be made available to ease minor tasks, like preheating the car, setting an overnight charge time or answering your sudden curiosity about why the earth is round. It can also be used to activate/deactivate the artificial exhaust sound.

Orders can be placed from mid-November for both versions of the 600e.