Electromobility from Fiat: Highlights 2021

2021 is the year of electric mobility for the new mega-corporation Stellantis. The new parent company of Fiat, which now owns around a dozen car brands, has set the course for e-mobility. Fiat was a long time behind, but that has now changed.

Because in the small car sector, the Fiat brand will play a major role in the future. The small Fiats are supposed to dig the water out of the cheap competition from Dacia and Hyundai. The company doesn’t do things by halves. The two electro hits by the Italians immediately stand out from the crowd. Bella Italia has gifted designers, which is reflected in the design and functionality of the new Fiat electric cars.

Bella Italia: La Dolce Vita and Fiat

La Dolce Vita, enjoying life, taking everything a little easier, that’s the Italian way of life. The Italians are also extremely frugal. Because they love the sun, games, gossip and of course their cars. A day at the beach, then an espresso in the café on the corner, getting new free spins without deposit on your smartphone in the online casino and then stuffing the whole family into one of the smallest and cheapest e-cars – this could be a typical La Dolce look like vita day.

Well, does this scene remind you of something? Naturally! A small Fiat stuffed with a whole Italian family…

That reminds us, fans, of the good old days of the first Fiat 500 from the sixties and seventies. A family of four squeezed into the little speedster to go on vacation. The pictures of all the luggage being strapped together on the roof of a Fiat 500 are unforgettable. This relaxed attitude, this spontaneity, this joie de vivre is what is still associated with the Fiat 500 to this day.

The legend in 2021

But in 2021, such wild constructions on the roof will no longer be possible. The safety regulations require a completely different structure of the car. For example, the crumple zone, which did not even exist at that time.

After the Fiat 500 came back to life a few years ago, 2021 is another turning point for the 500.

Because the latest version of the Fiat 500 is now only available with an electric drive. The Stellantis Group has developed a universal electric vehicle platform from which the Fiat 500 now benefits. The group made it clear that the 500 will not be positioned as a cheap car. When it was presented, the most expensive version (a good €30,000) was deliberately presented, because the 500 may be small in size, but its equipment package ranges from inexpensive to luxury equipment that is otherwise only found in mid-range and luxury cars.

One of the highlights is Level 2 autonomous driving. The Fiat management wants to position the Italian brand in such a way that electric mobility is no longer a privilege. Matching this, there is also an optional range of equipment that is otherwise only found in high-quality mid-size and luxury cars.

With four model variants, each of which is available in different variations, the new, all-electric Fiat 500 has a wide range.

The clumsy Fiat Panda returns as an electric super hit

But the Fiat Group has another ace up its sleeve. The legendary Fiat Panda is revived. The electric concept study Centoventi was presented about two years ago and has been continuously developed since then. The secret and now announced goal of the study was to develop a new, all-electric Fiat Panda.

The defaults: The Fiat Panda should not only be smaller, but also significantly cheaper than the Fiat 500. That is why the subject of microcars had to be rethought from the ground up.

The panda has what it takes to be a hit. The engineers probably borrowed from the popular toy for children and young people, Lego. Because similar to a Lego toy, you can put the Fiat Panda together with the desired components as you wish. The panda is protected by four large hard foam bumpers, a kind of oversized bumper. These special foam bumpers act as a kind of super-effective crumple zone.

Robust, cheap, flexible: The new electric Panda establishes a new Fiat era

At the same time, it makes the Panda extremely robust, as a small bump when parking only touches the foam, meaning it cannot cause scratches or deformation. These bumpers are available in three variants that you can choose depending on your taste and wallet. The “paint” is just as lego-like. Livery is in quotes because there will be no real livery for the Panda. Because, in order to keep the price of the Panda as low as possible, Fiat decided to omit the paintwork. Instead there will only be a coating to protect the metal. The silver of the metal will show through under this protective layer.

If you want your panda to be a little more colourful, you can choose from foiling instead of paint, based on the Lego principle. The surfaces of the panda are specially designed in such a way that foiling is extremely easy and therefore extremely cheap.

Akku 2 go: No need for a charging station!

Probably the most ingenious thing about the Lego principle are the removable batteries. In the basic version, you can only buy the Panda with the standard battery and then buy additional batteries later if required. Each additional battery brings about 100 km more range. The batteries aren’t particularly large, like three large laptops stacked on top of each other. They are fitted with wheels and a pull handle, like a trolley.

You can simply pull one or two batteries out of the car, take them home with you and charge them in peace. So you don’t need a charging station, a carport or anything similar. This makes the Panda extremely flexible. For example, you can put two or three more batteries in the Panda for cross-country trips, and then remove them again to save weight for city traffic.

Passenger seat optional: Fiat finds new ways to become cheaper and more flexible

The interior is similar: as standard, there is only one driver’s seat. Where the passenger seat would actually be is just a kind of pedestal. An additional seat, a baby seat or a shelf can be mounted on it. The dashboard consists of very straight, flat surfaces. Here you can choose from a gigantic number of suitable tools: mobile phone holder, tablet holder, beauty case box, sound system, etc.

The tools can be downloaded from Fiat on the Internet as a 3D print template and then printed out with a 3D printer. Fiat hopes that a community and lively second-hand trade will develop around the installation tools.

The electric panda should be available in a few months.

The 500: Small car with noble equipment

The Fiat 500 is still a long way from so much futurism. Here Fiat has not yet leaned out the window that far, but has only created a good, averagely innovative small electric car. Assistance systems, i.e. camera systems, lane departure warning and distance cruise control, show that the 500 wants to sell the more expensive variants in particular.

The repositioning of the Mopar tuning brand from Chrysler is particularly interesting for Fiat fans. Because this is now also responsible for special equipment and extras at Fiat. This is how Mopar is to be positioned for the after-sales market. So if you want to upgrade your Fiat later or have certain special requests from the factory, you can contact Mopar immediately.

Clean and virus-free air in Fiat 500 with Mopar air filter

Mopar already has a special treat for the 500, not only, but especially for the Corona times: A cabin air filter that kills 99% of all viruses and bacteria and that pumps the city air, which has been polluted by smog, for example, into the interior after it has been completely cleaned. This is how the interior of the 500 becomes paradise. This feature alone makes the Fiat 500 a top choice today. All other news about the small cars from Fiat can of course still be found here.