The iconic Fiat 500 city car will return to the US in 2024 as an electric car

• Fiat announced today that it is magical 500 minibus will return to the North American market after a four-year absence.
• Unlike the previous generation car, the 500 here will only be sold as-is electric 500e.
• The new 500e is already on sale in Europe and has an estimated range of up to 299 miles on the very optimistic European WLTP cycle.

After Fiat discontinued the 500 and 500 l models in North America a few years ago, we were skeptical about the brand’s future. The 500X SUV it’s the only Fiat currently sold on our shores, but now the fully redesigned 500e electric hatchback is on its way to give Fiat a push in the US market.

Based on the 500 city car already sold in Europe, the 500e will go on sale here as a 2024 model, but Fiat has been tight-lipped about U.S. specification details for its electric powertrain and battery so far. We suspect it will carry over exactly as sold in Europe, with the larger of the two available battery packs, a 37.3kWh unit and an electric motor that drives the front wheels and can deliver up to 117bhp .

With this larger battery, the 500e delivers a range of 199 miles on the European WLTP cycle. But unless Fiat somehow squeezes a larger battery into the US variant, we’d expect to see a much lower EPA range estimate, probably around 160 miles per charge.

It appears the 500e will arrive in the U.S. in both hardtop hatchback and softtop convertible guises, though there’s no word yet on whether it’ll make the jump to the European version’s 3+1 door configuration. With the help of Italian fashion houses Armani and Bulgari, as well as modern furniture design firm Kartell, Fiat revealed three one-off concept cars at the show Los Angeles Auto Show 2022 which emphasize the fashionable style of the car.

The Armani 500e, for example, has a special exterior paint with a laser-engraved chevron pattern that makes it look like fabric. The Kartell version uses eco-friendly plastics for the interior of the car, while the Bulgari model has a premium look inside and out with colorful embroidered upholstery and a matching dashboard mural. This version also features a removable amethyst, topaz and citrine inset brooch mounted in the center of the wheel. Unfortunately, we do not expect such a variant to enter production.

Those in the know will recall that the 500e version of the previous generation car was sold here until the 2019 model year, though its availability was limited in California and Oregon. The model brought the marque big money, as former Fiat Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne told Reuters in 2014 that he hoped that not too many people would buy it because his company lost about $14,000 on each.

This time, the 500e is ready to present a better economic case. For starters, it’s likely to be offered for sale in more states, and we expect its starting price to be higher than the 2019 version, which cost around $34,000.

The 500e will be one of the first electric vehicles to arrive in the US from parent company Fiat Stellantis. While competitors such as General Motors, Ford and Volkswagen were quick to release EV models, Stellantis lagged behind. The company showed bright concepts such as Chrysler Airflow and Dodge Charger Daytona, but these cars are still in the concept stage. Since the 500e is already on sale in other parts of the world, it could pre-date those cars in production.

Fiat says the production version of the 500e will debut next year at the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show, and by then we’ll likely know more about the car’s powertrain, battery and range.

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