New Electric Fiat 500e Set For 2020, Giardiniera Estate To Join The Range

FCA focused on the Alfa Romeo, Jeep, RAM and Maserati brands during today’s big announcement of the company’s future strategy but that doesn’t mean that Fiat isn’t getting a little love – though, not much as the company is mulling plans to end sales in North America and China in the coming years.

Still, Fiat announced that it will launch the next-generation of the electric 500e in 2020, with the small city car to be powered by the least powerful of FCA’s planned four EV powertrains. The 500 range will also be expanded with the revival of the Giardiniera version, the original 500’s estate derivative.

Marchionne said that the new 500 Giardiniera will offer class-leading roominess and “an unmistakable design”. FCA’s CEO also said that Fiat’s next Panda will maintain the no-fuss image of the model and will be offered with eco-friendly combustion engines.

The new Fiat 500 Giardiniera will use the same electric powertrain with the 500e while the next-generation 500X and 500L models will be powered by new hybrid powertrains.

However, the compact dimensions of the next-gen 500e are expected to limit the available space for a battery pack, which means that driving range will not be as long as other EVs.

As mentioned above, FCA will develop four different electric powertrains to cover all needs and most segments. The ‘City Car’ powertrain will be used by models like the next-gen 500e while the ‘Mainstream’ powertrain will debut in the Jeep Grand Commander. FCA will launch the ‘Performance’ EV powertrain in the 2020 Maserati Alfieri while a ‘Premium’ EV powertrain will make its appearance with the 2022 Maserati Quattroporte.

Fiat will also launch three new SUVs, including a budget three-row compact model, in Latin America only.