Australia (Common Wealth) _ The 2023 Fiat 500e electric city hatch will be available in Australia in the first half of next year, according to the carmaker’s local division, ensuring the Fiat brand’s future in the country.
The Fiat 500e, which was revealed more than two years ago and will be available exclusively with electric power in Europe later in 2020, is the belated replacement to the existing 500, which has been on sale in Australia since 2008.
For the foreseeable future, the 14-year-old petrol-powered Fiat 500 will be marketed alongside the electric version in Australia.
After a chronic lack of all-new model introductions and the discontinuation of its two other cars, the 500X SUV in 2021 and the Abarth 124 Spider roadster in 2020, the 500e will become only Fiat’s second remaining passenger car on sale in Australia (together with the Ducato van).
While the electric Fiat 500 has been offered alongside its petrol-powered predecessor in Europe since its introduction, production of the petrol 500 is set to terminate in the coming years.
The Fiat 500e’s local pricing and specs have yet to be verified, and it is unclear which of the three body variants available internationally – normal hatchback, convertible, or a ‘3+1’ hatch with a second door on the passenger side – will be supplied domestically.
If it can undercut or be priced close to the $44,990 drive-away BYD Atto 3 and $46,990 drive-away MG ZS EV, the tiny Fiat might become one of Australia’s most cheap electric vehicles.
In the UK, the entry-level Fiat 500e is priced similarly to a top-of-the-line Toyota Yaris Hybrid (about $36,500 drive-away), while the premium hatchback is priced similarly to the Nissan Leaf and MG ZS EV (around $50,000 drive-away).
To put this in context, the current petrol-powered Fiat 500 range starts at $19,550 plus on-road costs for an entry-level 500 Lounge manual hatch and goes up to $27,650 plus on-roads for a top Dolcevita automatic convertible. The Abarth hot hatch range is even more expensive, costing more than $34,000.
“We’re excited to launch [the 500e] next year,” a Fiat Australia representative told Drive, however they declined to specify whether (or how long) the existing petrol Fiat 500 will continue to be sold alongside the future Fiat 500e.
