2020 Fiat 500 to switch to pure-electric

The next-generation Fiat 500 will be reincarnated as an upmarket pure-electric hatch when it's launched at the 2020 Geneva motor show next March.

With more than two million of the born-again Fiat 500 (pictured) sold since it first went on sale back in 2005, it appears parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has decided to go for a different tact with its replacement, which will sacrifice high volume for larger profit margins.

That explains why the Italian car-maker says its next Fiat 500 will be closer than ever before to the MINI in regards to pricing and an unashamed luxury bent.

Perhaps most surprising is that Fiat has confirmed both petrol and diesel power will be dropped for the new model, which will only be available with battery-electric power.

“Premium is the way we will go with the EV 500,” marketing boss of Fiat and FCA, Olivier Francois, told Brit mag

“A new 500, totally renewed. A new object. Totally electric. It’s kind of an urban Tesla, with beautiful style. Italianess, dolce vita in an electric car. It’s the polar opposite of Centoventi.”

Reveled at this month's 2019 Geneva show, the Centoventi concept (pictured above) was designed to preview Fiat's all-new Panda replacement, which will replace the 500 as the brand's base model.

with Francois explaining how the Panda replacement will become the car-maker's base model.is expected to come available with an internal combustion engine but still offer an affordable short-range pure-electric powertrain for cities like Paris and Madrid who will introduce an outright ban on internal combustion-powered cars.

Confusion still remains on what platform the Centoventi will be underpinned by, but the Fiat boss did confirm that the next-gen 500 will switch from its current ancient underpinnings to a new bespoke architecture currently being developed by FCA.

“It’s a new platform designed for electrification. It makes the car radically different. It’s still a 500, same size same proportions, but it’s just not the same car. The 500 of the future”.

Switching to a bespoke EV platform could see Fiat designers radically reinterpret the iconic 500 thanks to the ability of engineers to package its batteries beneath the floor and the electric motors behind the front or rear axle -- except it's unlikely they will as the 500, even after 14 years, still sells on its retro appeal.

According to the Fiat boss, the new 500 EV will not spawn a hot hatch model, suggesting the days of the cheeky Abarth version of the 500 may be numbered.

However, despite its age, Francois confirmed that the current Fiat 500 will live on long after the launch of its pure-electric replacement arrives.

The Fiat boss says he wants the elderly 500 to continue to offer an affordable entry-point to the brand for value-conscious buyers.

Last year Fiat's late boss Sergio Marchionne said the 2020 Fiat 500 would also spin-off a retro-inspired Giardiniera, a small wagon that would also come with a pure-electric powertrain.