Fiat launches the new 500 in Brazil where it will be marketed exclusively in the electric version and where it will cost around 10,000 euros less than the cheaper Tesla offered in Italy. That is the equivalent of around 39,000 euros. Of course, the model is well equipped: in the price list there will be only the Icon variant with a 10.25 ” central screen, level 2 autonomy driving functions, compatibility with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in wireless mode and charging at 11 kW in AC and 85 kW in direct current. Available only as a sedan and with the 118 hp unit and 220 Nm of torque, the Brazilian electric 500 also has a range of 322 kilometers thanks to the 42 kWh battery.
Olivier Francois, Fiat CEO and Global CMO Stellantis, spoke of Brazil as the brand’s “second home”. In fact, in Betim, the Turin-based manufacturer inaugurated the country’s first plant for the local production of the Fiat 147 45 years ago. Then other vehicles and other plants followed, including the one in Goiana, opened in 2015 and one of the most advanced in the world. of the automotive sector.
The launch of the electric 500, at least for the moment, has above all a symbolic value. Because the model is an icon of the brand and because Brazil is Fiat’s top non-European market (22% penetration). The volumes should not be of those destined to scratch the balance: in Brazil there are just 45,000 zero-emission cars in circulation. And in 2021, registrations of electrified cars, including hybrids and plug-ins, did not reach 20,000: a third of those powered by petrol and a tenth of those powered by diesel in a market dominated by flex-fuel solutions (almost 1, 7 million units sold) such as the ethanol-powered ones adopted by Fiat for some time.
After all, the zero-emission models of Audi and General Motors that competed for the best seller prize had managed to slightly exceed 100 units in the first 9 months of last year, however penalized by the pandemic. “The 500 is an icon of change – added Francois – Born to redesign sustainable urban mobility and the protagonist of an important turning point, it plays a key role in the conversion to green and customer loyalty to electricity”.
