Sergio Marchionne famously told consumers not to buy
the Fiat 500e, but the brand hasn’t given up on the slow selling model. Quite
the opposite actually as Fiat is working on a new version which was recently
spotted by spy photographers.
Dressed in heavy camouflage, the prototype has a
familiar design but appears to adopt slimmer side skirts. The front and rear
fascias are also heavily disguised and this suggests there could be extensive
changes hiding underneath. While spy shooters couldn’t get close enough to snap interior
pictures, there’s visible camouflage on the dashboard. This suggests there
could be a handful of interior updates, but there’s no word on specifics.
The styling changes appear to be minor, but
executives have previously said the car will be “totally renewed.” FCA’s chief marking officer, Olivier
François, has also stated “It’s kind of an urban Tesla, with beautiful style.
Italianess, dolce vita in an electric car.” Specifications remain
unconfirmed, but the current 500e has a 24 kWh lithium-ion battery pack which
sends power to an electric motor that develops 111 hp and 199 Nm of torque. Of course, the biggest downside is a dismal range of 135 km/h.
If the range wasn’t bad enough, the Fiat 500e costs US$ 32,995 before incentives. That makes the model more expensive than more
practical options such as the Nissan Leaf which starts at US$ 29,990 and has a
range of up to 241 km. Regardless, the 2020 Fiat 500e
will be built on a new assembly line at the company’s Mirafiori plant in Italy.
FCA has already confirmed the first pre-production models will be made later
this year and road-ready variants will follow in the second quarter of 2020.
The plant will be able to build 80,000 units annually, but FCA has suggested
that number could increase if needed.
