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NEWS
LA MOTOR SHOW: Electric Fiat 500 set for west coast debut
Italian car-maker goes the battery-powered route with latest derivative of its cheeky 500 sub-compactFiat plans to unveil a battery-powered version of the pint-sized 500 in electric-car-friendly California next week. Due to be revealed at the Los Angeles motor show (on November 29), the 500e will also make a surprise appearance at the American Music Awards this Sunday.
The zero-emission vehicle has been in the works for some time, with the 500 Elettra concept previewing it at the 2010 Detroit motor show. At this stage, the 500e (Fiat’s first electric car) is due to be sold only in California, where the state’s emissions regulations are expected to get increasingly stringent over the coming years.
Although tech specs haven’t as yet been announced, it’s believed the lithium-ion-battery-powered 500 ekes out 74kW, with the main visual clues to its identity provided by a bespoke front spoiler and valance. In addition, the unique alloy wheels are shod with low-resistance tyres to maximise range and efficiency.
Inside, the 500e is jazzed up with a white and orange colour scheme, a revised instrument cluster and push buttons in lieu of the combustion-powered car’s gearlever.
Some reports suggest Fiat will actually lose up to $10,000 on each car, and the real reason it was conceived is to meet California’s zero-emissions vehicle mandate that calls for 1.5 million electric cars to be on the state’s roads by 2025.
The 500e isn’t the only new model derivative for Fiat’s baby-car line-up, as also due next year is the long-wheelbase, five-seater version dubbed the 500L.
The 500 – known as the Cinquecento in its homeland – is currently sold in over 100 countries, and is now selling in reasonable numbers in the US after getting off to a shaky start following its 2011 launch in the country.
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Written byGautam Sharma
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