Fiat are planning on showing an Electric Fiat 500 concept at the Detroit Motor Show
Fiat look set to bring an electric Fiat 500 concept to the Detroit Motor Show, together with a Chrysler badged Lancia Delta.
Chrysler’s home-turf show at Detroit in the New Year will be the first since Fiat got their hands on the American icon, and it looks as if they will use the show for the reveal of a couple of interesting cars. It seems likely they will show off a Lancia Delta complete with trademark Chryser nose and trimmings to shove a ‘new’ car under the noses of the American car-buying public, but it now seems likely they will use Detroit to show off an Electric Fiat 500 Concept.
We already know the Fiat 500 is US bound, even though it is about the size of the boot/trunk on the average yank-mobile. But with eco-concerns rife – particularly in place like California and New York – the Fiat 500 could do well. But an electric Fiat 500? Surely there will be issues.
The biggest issue is likely to be where to stick the batteries. The MINI E – the closest comparable electric concept – gives up its entire back seats for the battery bank, which makes an already ‘snug’ car unusable by a family, even around town. So it will be interesting to see how Fiat manage the packaging.
Maybe Fiat will go the ‘Range-Extender’ route with the 500, adding a motor and a smaller bank of batteries. That may make more sense, although the compact dimensions of the 500 still mitigate against a usable package.
We’ll know more in a few weeks.
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