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FCA’s first fully electric car, the third generation of the Fiat 500, launched

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The New 500, FCA’s first fully electric car was presented in Milan.

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The third generation of the Fiat 500 is completely new with more space, higher technology, a new style, but still a Cinquecento.

As mobility is expected to be more sustainable, connected and autonomous, with increasingly stringent regulations, the third generation of the Fiat 500 is once again at the fore, bringing with it design and driving pleasure. It is not just a revolution, but the “reincarnation” of a spirit, one that can inspire renewal. In fact, rules and regulations are not enough for a true revolution, something iconic and beautiful is needed: the New Fiat 500.

When designing the New 500, the engineers started with a blank sheet of paper, so they could work on every aspect with the utmost attention to detail and choose the best solutions. Range and charging times are two key issues for customers. The lithium-ion batteries with a capacity of 42 kWh give the New 500 a range of up to 320 km in the WLTP cycle.

To optimise charging time, the New 500 is equipped with an 85 kW fast charger system to charge the battery very quickly. For example, it takes only 5 minutes to build up a sufficient energy reserve to travel 50 kilometers, more than is needed for average daily use. And the fast charger can also charge the battery to 80% in just 35 minutes. The Combo 2 socket located on the rear right side panel of the car powers the fast charger, for both AC and DC charging.

Home charging solutions are also available. The launch edition of the new 500 includes the Easy Wallbox, a home charging system that can be connected to a normal home outlet. ENGIE EPS developed this exclusively for FCA, and it will be marketed by Mopar in Europe to coincide with the launch of the model. It is a simple, accessible “plug-and-charge” solution that can be managed easily via Bluetooth, letting customers stabilise their energy load by charging your 500 immediately at home with up to 3 kW of charging power, with no need for any intervention by skilled personnel. Moreover, the Easy Wallbox is ready for a power upgrade to 7.4 kW, providing a full charge at home in just over 6 hours. The model also comes with a Mode 3 cable for charging from the public mains.

The New 500 has three driving modes: Normal, Range and Sherpa, which can be selected to match your driving style. In particular, Sherpa mode optimises the available resources to ensure that you will reach your destination. Sherpa driving mode works on several components to reduce fuel consumption to a minimum, precisely to ensure that you can reach either the destination set on the navigation system or the nearest charging station comfortably. Just like a “Himalayan Sherpa”, who is in charge of the whole expedition and guides it to the destination, this driving mode adjusts various parameters: maximum speed, limited to 80 km/h; accelerator response, in order to reduce energy consumption; and deactivation of the climate control system and heated seats (the driver has the option of activating them at any time).

“Normal” mode is as close as possible to driving a vehicle with a normal combustion engine, while “Range” mode activates the “one-pedal-drive” function. By selecting this driving mode, you can practically drive the New 500 with the accelerator pedal alone. In fact, releasing it causes much greater deceleration than with a normal combustion engine, almost as if you had pushed the brake pedal. In any event, you need to push the brake pedal to bring the car to a complete stop. However, in daily use and with more practice, you can eventually learn to drive it using the accelerator pedal only. The engine has an output of 87 kW, providing a maximum speed of 150 km/h (self-limited) and acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 9.0 seconds and 0-50 km/h in 3.1 seconds.

The car of the future is not just an electric city car, but goes one step further: it literally goes to the next level by being the first car in its segment to offer level 2 autonomous driving, bringing all the associated benefits to urban mobility. Front-facing camera monitoring technology monitors all areas of the car, both longitudinally and laterally. The intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control (iACC) system brakes or accelerates in response to anything: cars, cyclists, pedestrians. Lane Centering keeps the vehicle in the center of the lane when the markings are correctly identified.

Intelligent Speed Assist reads the speed limits and recommends applying them, while Urban Blind Spot uses ultrasonic sensors to monitor the blind spots and warn of any obstacles with a triangular warning light on the wing mirror. Then there is Attention Assist, which provides warnings on the display, recommending that you stop and take a break when you are tired. Finally, the 360° sensors provide a drone view to avoid any obstacles when parking or performing complex maneuvers.

The third-generation 500 is the first FCA car equipped with the new UConnect 5 infotainment system, the connected platform designed for the future. Developed with the idea of providing customers with a completely new user experience in mind, FCA uses the easy, intuitive and incredibly customisable Android Auto operating system. For example, one can use widgets to configure how functions and apps are displayed. Apple CarPlay is already available wirelessly. The system is also ready to offer the same functionality for Android Auto. In short, the New 500 offers seamless integration with smartphone, offering a 10.25” high-definition touchscreen, with a horizontal form factor that fits perfectly into the car dashboard, following its lines.

UConnect 5 combined with the Telematic Box Module, as well as the mandatory Emergency Call function, offers customers a number of innovative connectivity services. The launch version also boasts the Natural Language interface system, with advanced voice recognition, so customers can talk to the car to control parameters, set the climate control and choose their favourite music.

In terms of style, the New 500 implements future mobility in an Italian way, bringing together the considerable legacy of the two previous generations. During the design phase, the Fiat Style Centre worked on clean lines and a consistent language to define the look of the third generation: crisp, advanced and compact, while being more sinuous and elegant, shaped around a more proportioned approach to the chassis. This makes it spatially attractive, giving a perception of increased stability and dimensional presence.

Another requirement was to immediately give the new model a dedicated 500 logo, which appears at the centre of the front badge for the first time, in the place of the Fiat logo. The current 500 logo at the rear keeps its link with the past, albeit transformed into the dedicated all-electric version: distinguished and embellished by a Light Blue border, with a play of design and color transforming the final zero into a letter “E”.

Inside, the electric 500 is completely new and elegant, with clear references to elements of the first generation. Like an interior designer, the Style Centre has furnished the interior by distributing the bulk efficiently to achieve formal simplicity, trim aesthetics and visual clarity. This is exemplified by the wide and slender dashboard and the modular storage solutions between the two front seats where the gear shift console was originally located, significantly improving perceived comfort. There is more space behind the shoulders and for the legs, while the flat bottom can house the lithium batteries without compromising the luggage compartment capacity, which remains unchanged.

As for the Hybrid Fiat 500, including the electric version, some trim levels also have seats made using “Seaqual” yarn, derived from plastic recovered from the sea, while others make considerable use of eco-leather rather than real leather.

The “la Prima” launch edition, a limited edition designed for the launch of the New 500, with its own distinct style, exclusivity, technology and connectivity. It can be ordered via an online pre-booking system. The launch version features full LED headlights, eco-leather upholstery, 17” diamond-cut wheels and chrome-plated inserts on the windows and side panels. Those who desire the New 500 “La Prima” require all its details to be exclusive: the Monogram Soft Top, and the “1 of 500” numbered badge alongside the name of the country in which the car was purchased on the first 500 units sold in the main countries.

“la Prima” is equipped with the most advanced ADAS systems available such as Autonomous Emergency Brake with pedestrian and cyclist detection, Intelligent Speed Assistant, Lane Control, High resolution rearview camera with dynamic guidelines, Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control (iACC) and Lane Centring, Auto headlamp on and Auto High/Low Beam, Emergency Call and Electric park brake. It is of course equipped with the Level 2 Autonomous driving System, for the first time in a city car.

The new UConnect 5 infotainment system sports a 7'' TFT Display, Radio 10.25'' Touch Screen NAV, Digital Audio Broadcast, Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto, Telematic Box Module. The “la Prima” full-option convertible is the only electric four-seater convertible. It comes complete with new content as standard, such as the 85 kW fast charger and an interior with eco-leather dashboard and seats.

To book the “la Prima” limited edition can be booked online with a deposit of €500 ($555). The unique and exclusive system uses your postal code to identify environmental incentives, and displays the final price as well as the national and local incentives available in the customer's area. The €500 ($555) is not a down-payment, but serves as proof of interest in purchasing a “La Prima” limited edition, only limited numbers of which are available in each country. The price of the New 500 “la Prima” Convertible, including Easy Wallbox, is €37,900 ($42,169) (not including the environmental incentives).

Purchasing a New Fiat 500 equates to entering the “House of Brands”, a highly exclusive club. It means opting for electric, but from time to time the customer can choose to drive the vehicle you need most: another model from the New 500 stable such as the 500X or 500L, an Italian sports car like the Alfa Romeo Giulia or Stelvio, or even an American SUV like the unstoppable Jeep Wrangler, Compass or Renegade. All this is made possible by “My Dream Garage”, the new mobility service designed by FCA and Leasys, a leasing and mobility company, exclusively for customers who buy a New Fiat 500. It will be a new subscription service, offering the option of booking all FCA Group cars “on-demand”.


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FCA’s first fully electric car, the third generation of the Fiat 500, launched
Modified on Wednesday 4th March 2020
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FCA’s first fully electric car, the third generation of the Fiat 500, launched
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