Is FIAT Bringing Its New Electrified 500 City Car West Of The Atlantic?

There still may be a chance for the FIAT brand to bring the third-generation electrified Fiat 500 to the United States. According to reports from our friends at Auto Segredos, the FIAT brand is bringing its new electrified city car to the country of Brazil.

The insider website caught two electric Fiat 500 models testing back in early February, with the vehicle’s badging covered with camouflage. A very suspicious move from the automaker on such a globally known vehicle. We saw this before on two Rebel pickups, shortly before they were launched in the marketplace.

Auto Segredos explains that their sources have indicated FIAT will sell its electrified Fiat 500 city car in its Icon trim level. The 500 Icon has an 87 kW electric motor producing 118 horsepower and has a range of 320 kilometers (204 miles) in mixed driving. Those who use the 500 purely in an urban setting can reach up to 460 kilometers (286 miles).

The Fiat 500 Icon has three driving modes to choose from Normal, Range, and Sherpa. Sherpa mode optimizes the available resources to ensure that you will reach your destination. Sherpa driving mode works on several components to reduce fuel consumption to a minimum, precisely to ensure that you can reach either the destination set on the navigation system or the nearest charging station comfortably.

Just like a “Himalayan Sherpa”, who is in charge of the whole expedition and guides it to the destination, this driving mode adjusts various parameters: maximum speed, limited to 80 km/h (about 50 mph); accelerator response, in order to reduce energy consumption; and deactivation of the climate control system and heated seats (the driver has the option of activating them at any time).

The Fiat 500 Icon is loaded with the latest technology and features to meet almost every driver’s needs. 

The new Uconnect 5 infotainment system on the Fiat 500 Icon, is featured in a bright 10.25-inch display. Ultra-fast Bluetooth connects all the smartphones in the car in less than 5-inches from the door opening. The smartphone-like interface, with a customizable screen layout that keeps your infotainment easy to use.

A natural language speech recognition allows interaction by simply saying “Hey Fiat”; the fully integrated navigation platform shows drivers up-to-the-minute traffic information, speed cameras, parking, charging stations, and destination weather information. The 3D map can be visualized also on the 7-inch thin-film-transistor (TFT) digital cluster. There is also a wireless mobile charger to be always connected and recharged.

The 500 Icon is embedded with a full range of state-of-the-art connectivity features, both onboard and offboard, including a brand new mobile application. The FIAT app lets you manage the all-new 500 anytime and anywhere. 

• My eCharge – My eCharge allows the all-new 500 Icon users to enter a world of services for the management of the electric charge. With the FIAT app you can easily find public charging stations nearby and access features for charging, payments, and track charging history. At home you can quickly access your private Wallbox and, thanks to the remote management, get the most out of your connected Wallbox.
• My Assistant – My Assistant keeps you safer wherever you go. The all-new 500 Icon is able to make emergency calls through a ceiling light, to contact a dedicated assistant, or to request roadside assistance, directly from the vehicle’s touchscreen or through the FIAT app.
• My Remote – With My Remote, you can locate the position of the all-new 500 Icon directly from your smartphone. And that’s not all. From the mobile app, you can also lock and unlock the doors and check the charging level, schedule the air conditioning, and the vehicle charging. With the voice assistance service “At-Home Digital Assistant” you can interact with the 500 remotely.
• My Car – My Car you can have real-time information about the status of your city car. You can check your tire pressure, odometer, and even maintenance updates on the FIAT app or on-board through the Uconnect system.
• My Navigation – With My Navigation, you can share the destination from your FIAT app and your vehicle with a simple tap. The infotainment display of the 500 Icon instantly shows your destination, with live traffic, weather updates, speed camera notifications, and point of charge. Your maps are always updated “over the air” with a seamless frictionless experience.
• My Wi-Fi – Keep in touch with your digital world thanks to Alexa Voice Service* available onboard the 500. Talk to Alexa to play music, listen to the news, check the weather, find places and get directions, manage smart home devices, and more. To use Alexa Voice Service, remind to activate the Wi-Fi hotspot offered by a provider which also allows you to connect up to 8 devices at the same time.
• My Alert – Optional is My Alert. In the unlucky case, there is a problem with your car, you will instantly receive push notifications on your FIAT app. In case of theft, you will be put in contact with an operator and your car will be tracked to help the police rescue it.

Not only is the 500 Icon full with the latest technology, but it is also stylish. 

During the design phase, the Fiat Style Center worked on clean lines and a consistent language to define the look of the third-generation 500 while taking cues from its 63-year history, while being more sinuous and elegant, shaped around a more proportioned approach to the chassis. This makes it spatially attractive, giving a perception of increased stability and dimensional presence.

Another requirement was to immediately give the new model a dedicated 500 logo, which appears at the center of the front badge for the first time, in the place of the FIAT logo. The current 500 logo at the rear keeps its link with the past, albeit transformed into the dedicated all-electric version: distinguished and embellished by a Light Blue border, with a play of design and color transforming the final zero into a letter “E”.  

The front is vertical as in the 1957 version, making it less elusive, almost facing the road, and the dynamic feel of the profile has been accentuated. The dividing line of the first generation separated the bonnet from the circular headlights, while today that separation has been redesigned, dividing the modular elliptical headlight with an eyelash on the bonnet. The slightly more elliptical, still-iconic headlights are technological and modern, resulting in a more appealing look, while the door handles are completely flush, with a compartment for the electric unlocking. A car with a smile, which has not lost the ‘carefree’ connotation expressed by its empathetic front, even in the third generation.

Its form demonstrates the same creative spirit. The substance of the new platform has given the third-generation 500 an incredible presence measuring 2.4 inches wider and 2.4 inches longer, with a wheelbase extended by 0.8 inches.

FIAT has officially said that they are evaluating the new Fiat 500’s potential for the North American market. It seems fitting considering that the Fiat 500 was the brand’s best-selling nameplate before it was discontinued in the market. But if Auto Segredos is correct, the 500 Icon would be a good hint that FIAT is not just keeping its newest city car in the European marketplace.

Do you think FIAT should bring the electrified third-generation 500 city car to the North American market? Let us know in the comments below or in the MoparInsiders forums.