Stellantis Australia has finally been able to confirm that it will bring Fiat 500e Electric city cars here with the expected arrival in the first half of 2023.
Smaller, retro-cool electric vehicles (EVs) have always been on the local arm’s list of favorites, but production has largely been dedicated to Europe.
The Australian news follows Fiat’s recent announcement that it plans to shut down all non-electric vehicles (hybrid and EV) in the UK from 1 July.
Whether Stellantis Australia is selling the current petrol-fueled Fiat 500 hatchback here – an older generation design than the 500e EV – has not said much about whether it will continue to be offered here.
The older-but-still-clever petrol-powered Fiat 500 sold locally after receiving an update that allowed it to comply with the ADR side-effect regulation that went into effect on November 1, 2021 for all passenger vehicles for sale in Australia.
Fiat 500e:
The new All-Electric Fiat 500e was first unveiled in March 2020 as the third generation Cinquecento.
The new 500e range has an entry-level variant a 70kW Electric motor hook up to a 23.8kWh Battery pack for which it has been claimed to be good 180 km WLTP test range.
This drivetrain supports 50kW fast charging, demands 0-100km / h time of 9.5 seconds and has electronically limited top speed of 135km / h.
High-end models come fitted with a 87kWh Electric motor with a large 42kWh Lithium-ion batteries with a range 320 km.
It also bumps the maximum DC fast-charging speed to 85kW, can sprint 0-100km / h in 9.0 seconds and has a maximum speed set of 150km / h.
The All-Electric Fiat 500 is available in hatchback, convertible and a Hyundai Veloster-esque 3 + 1 hatchback body style. A high-performance version is also set for the 2023 launch and could carry an Abarth badge.
Features available for the existing range include full LED headlights, 15- to 17-inch alloy wheels, “Echo” leather trim, electric front seat adjustment, self-dimming rear-view mirror, 10.25-inch Econnect 5 touchscreen infotainment system and a. -Inch digital instrument cluster and a wireless phone charger.
Safety features extend to adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane center assistance, traffic sign recognition, and ‘Level 2’ self-driving capability.
When the All-Electric Fiat 500e sells locally in the first half of 2023, it will compete with smaller entry-level EVs such as the Mini Electric, GWM Ora, BYD Auto 3 and Nissan Leaf.
More: Everything Fiat 500