The Fiat 500e, which upon until now has been produced exclusively in Mexico and sold in just a handful of states in the U.S., has finally been confirmed for production in Europe.
Despite the Fiat 500e currently being sold exclusively in California and Oregon, a recent meeting between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and trade union signatories has since confirmed that the next generation 500e will be produced in Turin, Italy. The new 500e model will reportedly be the first vehicle to be equipped with Fiat’s new dedicated small Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) platform.
FCA CEO Mike Manley opened the meeting be commenting on the new BEV platform, stating:
“Mirafiori will represent the first installation of a full BEV platform applied on the new Fiat 500, capable of scaling to other applications worldwide. Additional investments across our Jeep, Alfa Romeo, and Fiat brands will realize the benefits of existing plant capacity as well as scale and sourcing efficiencies from a common vehicle architecture, and Plug-in Hybrid Electric propulsion (PHEV) system, while preserving traits unique to the brands.”
Back in June, FCA announced that they would be investing roughly €9 billion (approximately $10.3 billion) in hybrid and electric vehicles over the next five years in their attempt to become fully compliant with stricter emission regulations across all regions. Since then, FCA has pledged to phase out all diesel engines in European passenger cars by 2021, and kicked off their initiative by announcing the production of a new plug-in hybrid Jeep Renegade back in October.
After announcing their electrification plans, it was only a matter of time before the electric Fiat 500e became more widely available. According to Fiat, their industrial plan for Italy includes the launch of 13 all-new or restyled vehicle models between 2019 and 2021 as well as the development of new powertrain solutions with a significant focus on hybrid and electric technologies.
Pietro Gorlier, Chief Operating Officer for the EMEA region, stated:
“The investment programmed for Italy over the plan period, which focuses on the use of common, flexible and electrified vehicle platforms, will reinforce the orientation of the Italian industrial footprint toward our global brands and global markets. In the next few months, we will be launching employee training programs focused on hybrid and electric technologies. I am convinced that, together with our workforce, we will succeed in implementing these exciting new programs in the marketplace.”
Fiat’s investment in Italy over the 2019-2021 period is estimated to total over €5 billion ($5.7 billion).
Source: FCA
