Panda-Inspired Fiat Centoventi EV Gets The Green Light For Production

Fiat’s electric vehicle range will expand to include other models aside from the recently unveiled 500e.

One of the cars that’s bound to enter production in the near future was previewed by the Centoventi Concept at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. The Panda-inspired study is in development, Auto Express learned, after speaking to the brand’s Global President, Olivier Francois.

“At Geneva last year, we showed our other EV car, our urban baby, we are still working on it – it was not just a flash in the pan”, Francois revealed. “It’s another approach to full electric. So, I think we have a bright future in the full electric approach to city cars, through the 500e and through the more non-traditional approach with this minimalist, lower price Centoventi that is very Panda-inspired,” the executive added.

Watch Also: Leonardo DiCaprio Gives New Fiat 500e His Full Endorsement

The Fiat official refrained from speaking about timeframes or whether the production version of the Centoventi study will completely replace the Panda. Mind you, the third-gen city car is already nine years old so a successor is probably not far away at all. The production Centoventi will likely share the electric architecture with the new 500e, Francois hinted.

It will be interesting to see how many bells and whistles will make it into the production version of the Centoventi. The concept was described as a “blank canvas” and is very customizable inside and out, featuring several options for the roofs, bumpers, wheel covers and wrappings. It also sports a mounting bracket in the cabin that allows the fitment of various modules, including a front passenger seat, child seat, pet carrier or storage basket.

Furthermore, the dashboard can host instrument clusters and infotainment systems of various sizes, and supports the mounting of other storage modules, cupholders, smartphone docks and so on. The electric powertrain of the Centoventi has a swappable and upgradable battery pack. Depending on how many modules it features, it can travel between 100 and 500 km (62-310 miles) on a single charge.

Powering Fiat’s new 500e is a 116 HP electric motor that takes the juice from a 42 kWh battery. The latter supports fast charging and gives it the energy to run for 320 km (199 miles) in the WLTP cycle. Nought to 62 (0-100 km/h) is dispatched in 9 seconds and top speed is capped at 93 mph (150 km/h).