Fiat presents the Concept Centoventi in Geneva

The 2019 Geneva International Motor Show saw the debut of the Fiat Concept Centoventi, the concept car expressing the Italian brand’s idea of electric mass mobility in the near future.

To conceive and develop the Fiat Concept Centoventi, the brand has focussed its attention on its most popular, affordable side, mining the vein that has yielded cars with incredibly modular interiors and striking stylistic personality. Fittingly, the Fiat Concept Centoventi projects the brand into the future, with its innate ability to “democratise” everything appealing and trendsetting.

Just like modern devices, this vehicle can be updated with the greatest of freedom and imagination in its colours, interior configuration, roof configuration, infotainment system and even battery range. This is one of the concept car's strong points.

Fiat Concept Centoventi is inspired by Italian design and embodies Fiat's “less is more” concept, which means getting rid of everything unnecessary and complex in a car to provide more space for people, attention to the environment and the community and for the brand's DNA in terms of values and looks.

The Fiat Concept Centoventi can be built to the customers specification, creating a new business model involving Mopar - the FCA group division that specialises in accessories, parts and services and innovative product personalisation, through the sales network and increasingly digital customers. Except for six features (bumpers, polycarbonate roof, colour, Lingotto instrument cluster, batteries and digital tailgate), which can only be installed at retailers, the other 114 accessories specially designed by Mopar.

Some simply structured accessories, such as a cup-holder or a document-holder, for example, can actually be printed using a 3D printer, in the owner's home, at their dealership or at a specialist printing shop. So this is a new business model for automotive accessories, enabling them to be resold or traded on the internet, nurturing a real community of brand fans or connoisseurs of Fiat's Italian design. This new business model is focused on e-Commerce and virtual market.

Various parts of the car's interior are created on the “plug and play” principle. The dashboard has small holes into which a multitude of additional components, of any shape and function, can be fitted, thanks to the patented interlocking mounting system. The same approach is found on the door panels, which are totally customisable with flat surfaces and minimal design, they can be fitted with storage pockets, bottle holders and audio speakers as and when required.

The seats also contain a bare structure made from eco-sustainable materials, while the cushions and head restraints can easily be replaced to change their colours and materials. The front passenger seat can even be substituted with a storage box or child seat if necessary. The rear seats consist of a retractable bench and a back which rotates to make a “trunk” with extraordinary load capacity.

The seat is made from an innovative plastic produced using an exclusive, patented production process involving a new plastic formulated using polyolefin resins. The end result is a material three times lighter than other mouldable plastics, like foams - and what's more it is coloured directly in the batch, meaning it has no external coating, looks attractive and is soft to the touch.

The instrument panel is available in two solutions: the first, makes the smartphone the heart of the system, in combination with the cluster's main 10″ screen, while the second, more traditional option features a second integrated display, giving a cluster of 20″.

The “Lingotto” instrument cluster is a sophisticated, Full Digital 20” device enclosed in a support styled to evoke the historic Fiat plant in Turin. Integrated in the “Lingotto” display's support are HMI driving assistance and safety functions, such as direction indicator, Blind Sport Alert system, braking system and battery charge status.

The standard Fiat Centoventi comes with an open roof, which is of course closed by a “cap”. As the other details, the roof can also be customised by choosing one of the available roof solutions - two-colour polycarbonate top, canvas soft top, integrated cargo box and even a roof integrating an innovative solar panel. The 50 Watts generated by the solar panel will keep the car cool when it is parked and will power the innovative digital display arranged under the rear tailgate.

As standard, the car comes with a factory-mounted battery with a range of 62 miles. But if a longer range is needed, up to 3 additional batteries, giving an increase of 62 miles each, can be purchased or hired. The extra batteries are installed underneath the floor of the car, by the service network. A sliding rail which supports and connects the batteries makes their installation or removal particularly quick and easy.

An additional battery, for mounting under the seat, is also available; it can be disconnected and put on charge directly in the user's home or garage, just like the battery of a modern e-bike. The total range which can be achieved is 310 miles.

As well as for individual use, Fiat Concept Centoventi is born ready to become the future star of company fleets, as well as for sharing with other users. No surprise, since Fiat Concept Centoventi excels in all aspects of urban mobility. It is the least expensive BEV on the market, partly thanks to the modular set of batteries, as well as being the easiest to repair and service, with lower risk of damage and even lower total cost of ownership.