Fiat 500 EV could resurrect the Italian brand in India - IAB Report

As revealed in a media report today, FCA is open to launching the Fiat 500 electric car in India. This could mean that the third-gen Fiat 500, which the company had unveiled just month, will resurrect the Fiat brand in the country.

The Fiat brand succumbed to the more stringent regulations and has been discontinued in India. However, our market could get the all-new Fiat 500, FCA's first fully electric car, if there is enough demand and proper charging infrastructure. Unlike the previous generation Fiat 500 models, the new generation Fiat 500 is going to be sold only with an electric powertrain.

The 2020 Fiat 500 is way more futuristic than its evolutionary design would let you believe. Sitting on a new platform, the third-gen small car has a 2 cm longer wheelbase. It is 6 cm longer and 6 cm wider. It packs an 87 kW electric motor and a 42 kWh Lithium-ion battery pack.

The completely new Fiat 500 electric car can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 9.0 seconds and 0-50 km/h in 3.1 seconds. Its top speed has been limited to 150 km/h. Its 42 kWh battery pack gives it a driving range of up to 320 km in the WLTP cycle.

Fiat has equipped the 2020 500 EV with an 85 kW fast charger. Using this fast charger, its battery pack can be charged up to a level which provides a driving range of 50 km in only 5 minutes. Using the same charger, 80% charging can be achieved in just 35 minutes.

The launch edition of the 2020 Fiat 500 includes an 'easyWallbox' home charging system that can be connected to a normal home outlet. Developed by ENGIE EPS exclusively for FCA, it allows charging at home with up to 2.3 kW of charging power. Also, it is ready for a power upgrade to 7.4 kW, something that will allow full charging in just over 6 hours.

One of the major USPs of the latest Fiat 500 is Level 2 autonomous driving. This is also the first FCA car equipped with the UConnect 5 infotainment system, which includes a 7-inch TFT display and a 10.25-inch HD touchscreen NAV with navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto (yet to become functional). Full LED headlights, 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, full LED tail lights, electric parking brake and two-spoke steering are some more equipment highlights of the EV.

FCA manufactures the all-new Fiat 500 in Mirafiori, Italy. Should it launch it in India, it will most likely import it via the CBU route. The EV infrastructure in India will see sufficient improvement sooner or later. So, ultimately, the launch decision will probably be based on whether there are enough buyers for a retro-styled small electric car with a whopping INR 40 lakh+ price tag.

Also Read: End of an era: 1.3L MultiJet diesel engine production stopped at FCA-Tata Motors plant

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