Few things in life are as sad as Fiat’s current lineup. The only car in the Italian marque’s lineup is the 500X, which is just about as nice to live with as COVID-19. Ever since Fiat dropped the 500 and 500L models from its North American lineup, doubts about Fiat’s longevity have come up. But it seems like Fiat’s just taking a bit of a break before it comes out with a fully redesigned 500e all-electric hatchback, which is expected to arrive in the U.S. as a 2024 model.
Fiat already sells a version of the 500e in Europe and has since 2020, but we’re finally going to be getting the tiny EV in our country in the next few years. The upcoming all-electric hatchback will be the 500e’s second generation and this time around, Fiat will only offer the 500 as an EV. There aren’t many available details on the electric 500e, but the automaker showcased a few concepts at the 2022 Los Angeles Auto Show, though they’re European specifications.
Details of the U.S.-bound 500e might be light, but we expect the electric hatchback to share similar specs as the one that’s available in Europe. If that holds true, you can expect to see the 500e come with a single electric motor on the front wheels that makes 117 horsepower and a 42-kWh battery pack. Using Europe’s WLTP cycle, the 500e is rated to get up to 199 miles of range. We expect range to take a dramatic hit when the EPA does its testing on the U.S. version, with Fiat claiming an estimated range of roughly 150 miles.
The expected figures will make the 500e a tiny EV that’s for urbanites, putting it in the same league as the Mazda MX-30 and the Nissan Leaf. Fiat currently offers three versions of the 500e in Europe: a two-door hatchback, a two-door soft-top convertible, and a funky three-door model with a half door like the MX-30. The Italian brand also introduced a new Abarth performance model that comes with a more powerful electric motor and what it’s calling a sound generator for some real sound. We expect the hatchback, convertible, and Abarth models to make it to the U.S., though it all depends on what Fiat believes it will be able to sell, since most Americans aren’t really into tiny subcompacts.
The upcoming 2024 500e will become the first electric vehicle from Stellantis in the U.S., which has lagged behind competitors like Ford, General Motors, and Volkswagen. One major thing we’re waiting to hear about is pricing. The last 500e cost around $34,000 when it was on sale in 2019, but Fiat CEO Olivier Francois told Autoblog that the upcoming EV wouldn’t be cheap, so don’t expect the 500e to be an affordable EV. The production version of the 500e is expected to make its debut at next year’s 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show, which is when we should get more concrete specs on the EV.
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