Thai PM Drives Daughter’s Fiat Abarth 500e EV to Work

Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin was spotted driving his daughter’s Fiat Abarth 500e EV

While EVs are becoming more common nowadays, their adoption amongst top national leaders and politicians seems quite scarce compared to the general public. But that’s not the case for Thailand, as the nation’s Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin was recently spotted driving an EV to work.

Spotted driving a bright yellow Fiat Abarth 500e EV hatchback on Feb 21, Srettha explained on his official Facebook page that he was driving the EV all the way from his official residence on Sukhumvit Road to the EV board meeting held at the Government House in the kingdom’s capital, Bangkok.

Upon exiting the car, Srettha’s towering figure, which stands at 1.92 metres, makes the teeny Abarth 500e EV look even smaller. As if the Premier’s presence with the car already put many spotlights on the Abarth 500e, the car's loud fluorescent green hue also helps the car stand out further than it already is.

The 'Sor Thor 30' nameplate indicates that this Abarth 500e might actually be Srettha daughter's car

While some have speculated that this is a plug endorsed by Fiat’s parent company, Stellantis, Srettha explained that the Abarth 500e was actually his daughter’s car. This is further proved by the car’s licence plate, which reads ‘Sor Thor 30’, matching the premier’s initials.

“I like to drive sometimes because it’s one of my pleasures. When I was a businessman, I always drove,” he told reporters at Government House, confirming that he had borrowed the EV from his daughter.

For those who are not familiar with the Abarth 500e, this EV hatchback is essentially a performance variant of the Fiat 500e EV, which boasts some improved performance equipment and overall aesthetic. Positioned as the marque’s supermini fighter, the 500e understandably looks timid with the 1.92 metre-tall Srettha towering beside it, with the EV hatch only measuring 3,632 MM long, 1,683 MM wide, and 1,527 MM tall.

On the powertrain front, this Abarth-badged EV gets a peppier single-motor setup compared to the standard Fiat 500e. Rated at 153 HP and 235 NM, this setup grants the Abarth 500e a decent 0-100 KM/H finish of only seven seconds. For reference, the standard Fiat 500e’s single-motor setup only outputs 118 HP and 220 NM, which is quite a decent figure for such a small car.

Although the Premier did not reveal any plans to outright replace his current chauffeur with an EV, we’d reckon Srettha’s publicity stunt with the Abarth 500e EV should be enough to start a ripple effect among top government officials to swap their fossil-gouging rides for electric ones.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim previously announced that the government will use electric vehicles as part of its official fleet, beginning this year

Closer to home, Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced during the 2024 Budget presentation that the government will use EVs as their new official vehicles in a bid to promote the adoption of EVs locally. Should this come to fruition, Malaysia could be among the first nations in the world to go fully electric with their official vehicle fleet.