Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
One week after Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced a significant investment into the 500e, a prototype of the all-electric city car has been spied with lots of camouflage and familiar components. No fewer than 700 million euros will be invested into the refresh, and a part of that money will go into a new production line at the Mirafiori plant.
80,000 examples of the breed are expected to be produced yearly, a high number if you compare it to the outgoing 500e. Voices in the industry suggest the 2020 Fiat 500e will utilize a BEV platform which will be shared with the production version of the Centoventi concept.
“Under the skin, it will be radically different” according to Olivier Francois. In addition to the head honcho, chief operating officer Pietro Gorlier described the 500e as being “a kind of an urban Tesla.” Factoring in the government’s incentives for plug-in vehicles, the 500e shapes up to be an alternative to the Peugeot e-208 and other EVs in this class.
Elsewhere in the range, the 500 with internal combustion prepares to welcome mild-hybrid powertrain options. The 2020 Fiat 500 Giardiniera will follow suit, promising an Italian design with a lot of practicality. Both electric and mild-hybrid powertrains will be offered.
The Giardiniera isn’t going to replace the 500L or 500X, serving as an all-new entry into the 500 family. Hitting the CO2 targets is a bit of a problem for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, which took the first step in this direction with the eTorque system in the Ram 1500 and Jeep Wrangler.
Turning our attention back to the 500e, we’re inclined to believe the biggest competition for the pint-sized electric vehicle will be the Honda Urban EV. To make room and sustain the 80,000-strong yearly output for the 500e, the Italian automaker decided to discontinue the Punto.
The outgoing model isn’t all that competitive by today’s standard, featuring a theoretical range of up to 84 miles on a full charge of the 24-kWh battery pack. That’s 135 kilometers in European money, a lot less than the 35.5-kWh Honda and 50-kWh Peugeot.
“Under the skin, it will be radically different” according to Olivier Francois. In addition to the head honcho, chief operating officer Pietro Gorlier described the 500e as being “a kind of an urban Tesla.” Factoring in the government’s incentives for plug-in vehicles, the 500e shapes up to be an alternative to the Peugeot e-208 and other EVs in this class.
Elsewhere in the range, the 500 with internal combustion prepares to welcome mild-hybrid powertrain options. The 2020 Fiat 500 Giardiniera will follow suit, promising an Italian design with a lot of practicality. Both electric and mild-hybrid powertrains will be offered.
The Giardiniera isn’t going to replace the 500L or 500X, serving as an all-new entry into the 500 family. Hitting the CO2 targets is a bit of a problem for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, which took the first step in this direction with the eTorque system in the Ram 1500 and Jeep Wrangler.
Turning our attention back to the 500e, we’re inclined to believe the biggest competition for the pint-sized electric vehicle will be the Honda Urban EV. To make room and sustain the 80,000-strong yearly output for the 500e, the Italian automaker decided to discontinue the Punto.
The outgoing model isn’t all that competitive by today’s standard, featuring a theoretical range of up to 84 miles on a full charge of the 24-kWh battery pack. That’s 135 kilometers in European money, a lot less than the 35.5-kWh Honda and 50-kWh Peugeot.
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