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Stephen Edelstein
It is cliché to explain an Italian automaker as working on a slower, extra laid-back timetable than its rivals, however that appears to be the case with Fiat’s North American product planning.
The outgoing Fiat 500 introduced the model again to america in 2011, but it surely had been on sale in Europe since 2007. An electrical 500e arrived after the gasoline fashions, however as then-CEO Sergio Marchionne was fast to level out, that was solely to fulfill California’s zero-emission car mandate.
Now the 500e is again, as soon as once more later than the European model (which was first proven in 2020), however this time, Fiat is skipping the gasoline engines for the road. The 2024 Fiat 500e is not any compliance automobile—it is now the one model of this retro hatchback you will get and the one Fiat mannequin obtainable within the US—neither is it a mass-market merchandise.
“My ambition is to not substitute your sedan or [S]UV,” Fiat CEO Olivier Francois stated in a presentation throughout a 500e drive program in Miami. The brand new 500e was designed with the identical ethos as its predecessor. It’s meant to be a trendy second automobile (Francois calls it the “final vogue accent”), sharing storage area with one thing extra sensible.
Stephen Edelstein
That when once more places the 500e within the aggressive crosshairs of the trendy Mini, which will get redesigned gasoline and all-electric variants for the 2025 mannequin yr. However the Fiat’s styling has stayed nearer to its inspiration than Mini’s, which appears to have misplaced the plot. The rounded two-box form stays, together with the distinctive “face” created by the grille-less, flat entrance finish. New headlights with eyelash-like higher components give that face a considerably disapproving look, although. Engineers additionally tried to tidy up airflow with a number of refined options, together with recessed door handles borrowed from Maserati.
The 500e rides on a brand new EV-specific platform referred to as STLA Metropolis, which led to some modifications in proportions. The brand new mannequin is 2.4 inches (60 mm) longer and a pair of.2 inches (55 mm) wider than its predecessor, with a 0.87-inch (22 mm) longer wheelbase.
Fiat claims the brand new platform allowed the seating place to be lowered, avoiding the barstool-like really feel of the outdated 500. The driving place did certainly really feel a bit extra regular, and the pretty quick hood and beneficiant facet glass enhanced outward visibility. Rear seats are included, however they’re solely helpful as extra cargo area, which is extra beneficiant than you may suppose. However as a result of the motor and different {hardware} dwell below the hood, there is not any frunk.
The inside has a pleasingly easy design, though except for the crimson dashboard fascia in our 500e (RED) launch mannequin (so named due to a tie-in with the RED charity), supplies appeared extra acceptable for a bargain-basement econobox than a car marketed as a classy vogue accent on wheels.
Stephen Edelstein
Fiat additionally stored issues easy within the mechanical division. The 500e makes use of a 42-kWh battery pack that affords 149 miles (240 km) of vary. That is maybe not the quantity some EV consumers wish to see, however Fiat notes that it is greater than sufficient for the roughly 30 miles (48 km) of day by day driving most People do.
A smaller pack additionally prices much less, makes use of fewer uncooked supplies, and helps save weight. At slightly below 3,000 lbs (1,360 kg), the 2024 500e is 50 lbs (23 kg) lighter than the previous-generation 500e. That is fairly spectacular, contemplating {that a} gasoline 2025 Mini Cooper S is predicted to weigh 3,014 lbs (1,367 kg) and the 500e has a battery pack below the ground.
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