Photo: Fiat
Even Sergio Marchionne said it wasn’t all that good, but few people remember the 500e came out at a time when Tesla was losing a lot of money with every Model S sold. The all-electric city car was introduced in November 2012 as the Los Angeles Auto Show, and so far, Fiat hasn’t sold too many of them as opposed to Tesla with the Model S full-size sedan.
The Italians, however, believe that the 500e can be much, much better after a $787 million investment. “The plan is confirmed” according to Pietro Gorlier, chief operating officer for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. All that cash will be invested into the 500e at the Mirafiori plant where 80,000 examples of the breed could be produced yearly.
Autoblog.com reports that production will start in the second quarter of 2020, citing none other than Gorlier. Production output will be expanded later on, and the $787 million investment is part of a bigger scheme to pour five billion euros in Italy by 2021. A tall order for FCA, alright!
We’ve first heard Auto Express talking about the revival of the 500e in March 2019, suggesting that the real deal will be presented to the general public in March 2020 at the Geneva Motor Show. Pietro Gorlier then said about the car that “it’s kind of an urban Tesla,” trying to hype up the 500e beyond what it actually is and stands for in the EV market.
Fret not, however, because the 500 will continue to feature internal combustion for as long as possible. In order to make the 500e competitive against newcomers such as the Peugeot e-208, Fiat has to either match the battery’s capacity (50 kWh) or the WLTP range (340 kilometers).
Priced at $32,995 before destination charge and the federal tax credit, the outgoing 500e can’t do better than 24 kWh and 135 kilometers. Produced in Toluca, Mexico and capable of hitting 100 km/h in 9.1 seconds, the 500e is also limited by the 6.6-kW charger that comes as standard.
Autoblog.com reports that production will start in the second quarter of 2020, citing none other than Gorlier. Production output will be expanded later on, and the $787 million investment is part of a bigger scheme to pour five billion euros in Italy by 2021. A tall order for FCA, alright!
We’ve first heard Auto Express talking about the revival of the 500e in March 2019, suggesting that the real deal will be presented to the general public in March 2020 at the Geneva Motor Show. Pietro Gorlier then said about the car that “it’s kind of an urban Tesla,” trying to hype up the 500e beyond what it actually is and stands for in the EV market.
Fret not, however, because the 500 will continue to feature internal combustion for as long as possible. In order to make the 500e competitive against newcomers such as the Peugeot e-208, Fiat has to either match the battery’s capacity (50 kWh) or the WLTP range (340 kilometers).
Priced at $32,995 before destination charge and the federal tax credit, the outgoing 500e can’t do better than 24 kWh and 135 kilometers. Produced in Toluca, Mexico and capable of hitting 100 km/h in 9.1 seconds, the 500e is also limited by the 6.6-kW charger that comes as standard.
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