100 million for a new battery that will give more autonomy and lower prices to the 500e. Will it be enough to restart the electric city car market?
There Fiat 500e was born in 2019, one of the first full electric city cars on the market. After three years of productive run a Mirafiori, today the car is suffering from a sharp drop in orders. New cars have arrived on the electric market (which is not taking off, just 3% of the total in Italy) (Chinese, but not only) with very competitive prices (the 500e cabrio costs around 32 thousand euros). In the first three months of ’24 the 500e sold just 614 examples in Italy. In the factory there are more hours of Cigs than cars. In view of the restyling, expected in 2027, Stellantis will intervene with the production (assembled in-house) of a make battery which will guarantee more autonomy and lower prices.
Will a new platform arrive in Turin?
Tavares explained that he will talk about new models only after the European elections and in the USA, in view of possible changes to the electric legislation. The one hundred million will be used to adapt the 500 platform to that of the Stla Smallon which a 500 hybrid version could also be born and other models in the future.
What changes for suppliers?
The battery that aims to reduce the price of the 500 (under 25 thousand euros) will be developed in China but assembled in Italy. Producers like Gkn which today supplies the electric motors to the 500 Bev.
