[October 2020 update: All-electric Fiat New 500 now gets 3+1 doors]
Another interesting vehicle that was supposed to make its Geneva debut this year is the Fiat New 500, an all-electric 2-door cabriolet. This succeeds the 500e, making it the first fully electric FCA car. The photos here also feature the one-offs: 500 Giorgio Armani, B.500 “Mai Troppo” (never too much) by Bvlgari, and the 500 Kartell.
Most of the photos here showcase the “la Prima” or the launch version. Online pre-bookings for these were opened on March 4; Fiat is allocating 500 units per market with easyWallbox included.
As for the design, the New 500 has not lost its iconic silhouette. I personally like the effect of the bonnet cutting straight through the headlamps while the top section is actually just the DRLs to retain the signature look of the front fascia. Another change we can notice at the front is that the Fiat badge has been replaced with the 500 logo.
At the rear, the 500 badge is accented with a Light Blue border, with a play of design and color transforming the final zero into a letter “E”.
The third generation 500 is built on a new platform, making the car 6 cm wider and 6 cm longer. The wheelbase is up by 2 cm.
The la Prima is available in three exterior colors: Mineral Grey (metallic) – representing the earth, Ocean Green (pearlescent) – represents the sea, and Celestial Blue (three-layer) – a homage to the sky.
Exterior features of the launch version include full-LED headlights and 17-inch diamond-cut wheels.
Inside, the layout and the materials used make the cabin look very premium and elegant. Features include eco-leather upholstery (includes plastics recovered from the sea), 7-inch TFT display, 10.25-inch UConnect 5 touchscreen infotainment, and wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto connectivity.
The New 500 is claimed to be the first city car with level 2 autonomous driving. The ADAS include Autonomous Emergency Brake with pedestrian and cyclist detection; Intelligent Speed Assistant; Lane Control; Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control (iACC) and Lane Centering; and Emergency Call.
As for the business end of the story, the electric motor puts out 87 kW (118 hp), drawing juice from a 42 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that is claimed to get a range of up to 320 km (198 mi) in the WLTP cycle. A 0-100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration is claimed to happen in 9.0 seconds while the top speed is limited to 150 km/h (93 mph).
The New 500 la Prima comes with an 85 kW fast charger that is claimed to take only 5 minutes to build up a sufficient energy reserve to travel 50 km (31 mi). Up to 80% charge is claimed to take 35 minutes.
The New 500 has three driving modes: Normal, Range and Sherpa, which can be selected to suit the driver’s needs. The ‘Range’ mode activates the “one-pedal-drive” function, while the ‘Sherpa’ mode does whatever it can to extract more range, one of which is to limit the speed to 80 km/h (50 mph).
The launch version also boasts the Natural Language interface system, with advanced voice recognition, so you can talk to the car to control parameters, set the climate control and choose your favorite music.
As mentioned, bookings for the la Prima limited edition can be done online for a refundable deposit of €500. It is priced at €37,900 (excluding government incentives).
The one-offs will be auctioned off, the proceeds of which will go to one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s environmental organizations.
October 2020 update: All-electric Fiat New 500 now gets 3+1 doors
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