The next-generation Fiat 500e electric city car (or whatever the automaker decides to call it) has been spotted again during testing, giving us a first peek at the interior.
Compared to the previous sighting this summer, the all-electric prototype features some significant changes at the front, where a protruding makeshift element now stands before the grille. We don’t know what to make of it but a closer look around it reveals that the cutouts for the headlights are too large, which could indicate that the upcoming Fiat 500e will have bigger lamps.
None of the three prototypes spotted by our photographers in Germany have exhaust pipes, but they all feature EV charging ports where you’d usually find the fuel filler cap. It’s pretty obvious that the biggest changes will take place at the front and rear ends as those are the areas featuring the largest amount of black vinyl camouflage.
Related: FCA Investing $788 Million To Build All-New Fiat 500 EV In Italy
There’s not much else to talk about regarding the exterior, as these next-gen Fiat 500e prototypes are obviously based on the current version of the city car. What’s far more interesting is the interior, where we can spot new stuff including a refreshed steering wheel, redesigned dashboard with bigger dials flanking a larger LED multifunctional display, and a rotary knob for the automatic transmission placed on the center console.
Near the selector we can also see buttons we did not expect to find on an electric Fiat 500. They are labeled “4WD Auto,” “4WD High” and “Axle Lock” but we wouldn’t get too excited about them because they are probably blank. The automaker likely sourced the selector complete with the buttons from FCA’s parts bin – unless the Fiat 500e will surprise everyone and launch with a two-motor setup and e-AWD.
The new Fiat 500e will be based on a new platform designed with electrification in mind. It’s too early for specs, but the electric city car should feature more than its predecessor’s 111 HP (112 PS / 83 kW), 147 lb-ft (200 Nm) of torque and 84 miles (135 kilometers) of range.
Production of the upcoming Fiat 500 EV will begin at the Mirafiori plant in Italy in the second quarter of 2020, so we can expect it to launch in Europe not long after that as a 2021MY model. The automaker hasn’t confirmed whether the EV will be offered in the United States, where the current 500 has been already discontinued.
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