Fiat’s marvellously retro Fiat 500 will be unveiled at the LA Auto Show with an electric motor in tow. Organisers of the event, which runs from November 30th to December 9th at the Los Angeles Convention Center, have confirmed the Fiat 500E will be part of the line up.
Details are very scarce at this time but Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne mentioned there would be an plug-in version of the little supermini available by the end of 2012. Don’t get your hopes up too high about owning one, though.
According to Green Car Reports, few examples of the 500E will be built. It’s likely only to be a ‘compliance’ vehicle – a car built just so Fiat can meet regional emissions regulations in California, which require car makers to sell a certain percentage of zero-emissions vehicles in the state.
The Fiat 500E will allegedly feature a 75-kilowatt (100bhp) motor, putting it on a par with the Nissan Leaf, though less powerful than the Citroen DS3 Electrum concept. No range figure or battery capacity has been revealed, but we would expect it to return 75-100 miles per charge.
In the past Fiat and Chrysler have not been shy about voicing their issues with the cost of producing an electric car – Chrysler claimed it would lose $10,000 for each electric vehicle sold – so a hefty price tag is likely.
As and when we hear more, we’ll let you know – not that you’ll ever be able to buy the thing. The LA Auto Show begins on November 28. We’ll bring you more info on the most interesting cars to emerge from the event in due course.
Via: Green Car Reports
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