The electric city runabout will be one of the cheapest EVs in the United States, though it will still cost $4,000 more than the Leaf.
After a five-year hiatus, the Fiat 500e electric city car is coming back to the United States for the 2024 model year with an all-new platform, slightly bigger size, and a fresh design—albeit still heavily inspired by the original 500 from the late 1950s.
Fiat planned to unveil the U.S.-spec variant of the 2024 500e at the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show, but parent company Stellantis pulled out from the event at the last minute to cut costs during the UAW strike.
That will not affect the timeline of the new Fiat 500e’s U.S. debut, though. As announced last year, the small EV will launch stateside in early 2024, but Fiat is yet to reveal specifications and pricing.
Thankfully, the starting MSRP leaked, revealing that the Fiat 500e will be priced from $32,500 excluding destination. This will make it one of the most affordable EVs on sale in the U.S.
CarsDirect has found the price in recent order guide data, and what’s surprising is that the new 500e will actually be some $700 more affordable than its predecessor, which had a base price of $33,210 before it was discontinued in 2019. This is rather surprising considering that the new 500e is a much improved car and inflation has gone crazy over the past four years.
Gallery: Fiat 500e at LA Auto Show 2022
We contacted Fiat USA to get a confirmation of the price and learn more about the U.S.-spec 500e, so watch this space for updates.
While it won’t be America’s most affordable EV—the $28,140 2024 Nissan Leaf will likely snatch that title from the outgoing Chevy Bolt EV—the 2024 Fiat 500e will certainly be an appealing option for buyers looking for a fashionable electric city runabout.
Although the U.S. launch is scheduled for the next quarter, not much is known about the 2024 Fiat 500e. According to order guide data seen by CarsDirect, the electric city car is a single-motor, front-wheel-drive EV that comes standard with 17-inch aluminum multi-spoke wheels shod with 205/45R17 all-season tires, cloth bucket seats with red accents, and a 10.25-inch Uconnect 5 navigation system.
The European-spec model is currently available with two powertrain combinations: a 94-horsepower motor with a 23.8-kilowatt-hour battery pack or a 117-hp motor with a 42-kWh battery. The latter is likely to be the only one offered in the U.S. since it offers the longest range—it’s WLTP-rated at almost 200 miles (320 kilometers).
The previous-generation Fiat 500e had a very low EPA-estimated range of 84 miles, and it was only sold in California, Oregon, and Maryland. That’s because it was a “compliance vehicle” whose main goal was to help Fiat meet emissions regulations in select states.
The original Fiat 500e was also a car that lost the automaker a lot of money. The late Sergio Marchionne, the former Fiat-Chrysler CEO, famously said in 2014 that he hoped people wouldn’t buy the car because the company was losing $14,000 on every unit sold.
Here’s hoping that Fiat has done its homework better this time and the new 500e will be a much more enticing proposition for U.S. buyers. The sub-$33,000 base price is certainly a good prerequisite.
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Keyword: 2024 Fiat 500e Is Cheaper Than Predecessor At $32,500: Report