The New Fiat 500 ‘la Prima’ hatchback makes its debut today following the successful unveiling of the New 500 ‘la Prima’ convertible in March.
Combining a new electric soul with its iconic design and attention to detail, the New 500 retains the unique characteristics of the ‘Cinquino’ to provide sustainable mobility for all.
With even softer and more rounded lines than the previous generation, the New 500 ‘la Prima’ had been designed to deal with the increasing complexity of driving in a modern city. As in the post-war period, when the first generation of the Cinquino breathed life into mass mobility, the New 500 electric now brings personality and fun to sustainable urban mobility.
The New 500 ‘la Prima’ hatchback – including the fitment of the easyWallbox – is priced at £26,995, including PiCG.
High specification for ‘la Prima’ special edition
The New 500 ‘la Prima’ hatchback is marked out by its panoramic glass sunroof to flood the passenger compartment with light, while improving on-board wellbeing. The rear features a classic tailgate and a new more pronounced spoiler, to improve aerodynamic efficiency. Three exclusive paint colours are available: pearlescent Ocean Green; metallic Mineral Grey; and three-layer Celestial Blue. As standard, the ‘la Prima’ model includes full LED headlights, 17-inch diamond-cut wheels, chrome-plated inserts on the side panels, and dashboard and eco-leather seat upholstery.
Design cues
The unmistakable silhouette of the New 500 electric shows off the upper profile of the cabin, combining it with the characteristic tilt of the rear edge. The roomy passenger cabin has evolved in the third generation, resulting in the development of a more pronounced spoiler. Refined specifically to improve aerodynamic efficiency and range, the car’s body is also perceived as more dynamic.
A more elegant and sculptural exterior than previous generations, the design is complemented by touches such as the characteristic chrome slat above the licence plate, the new FIAT insignia and the symbols and horizontal lines in the tailgate and headlights, highlighting the car’s width.
Range, charging and driving New 500 hatchback
Range and charging times are two key considerations for customers. The lithium-ion batteries, with a capacity of 42kWh, give the New 500 a range of up to 199 miles in the WLTP cycle. To optimise charging time, the New 500 electric is equipped with an 85kW fast charge system. It takes only five minutes to build up a sufficient energy reserve to travel 30 miles, more than the average daily commute. Using a fast charger can also power the battery to 80% in just 35 minutes. The Combo 2 socket, located on the rear right side panel of the car, has the ability to accept both AC and DC charging.
Home charging solutions are also available. The launch edition of the New 500 comes complete with an easyWallbox, a home charging system that can simply be connected to a normal home outlet. ENGIE EPS developed this solution exclusively for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). This simple, accessible ‘plug-and-charge’ solution can be managed easily via Bluetooth. It can stabilise energy load by charging a 500 at home with up to 3kW of charging power, without the need for professional installation.
The easyWallbox can be upgraded to 7.4kW, providing a full charge at home in just over six hours. The New 500 also comes with a Mode 3 cable for charging at up to 11kW from a public charge point.
The New 500 has three driving modes: Normal, Range and Sherpa, which can be selected to suit your driving style or requirements.
Sherpa mode optimises the available resources to reduce fuel consumption to a minimum, enabling it to reach the destination set on the navigation system or the nearest charging station. Just like a Himalayan Sherpa, who is in charge of the whole expedition and is a guide to the destination, this driving mode adjusts various parameters: maximum speed is limited to 50mph; accelerator response is managed in order to reduce energy consumption; and deactivation of both the climate control system and heated seats (the driver has the option of activating them at any time).
‘Normal’ mode is as close as possible to driving a vehicle with a normal combustion engine, while ‘Range’ mode activates the ‘one-pedal-drive’ function. By selecting this driving mode, the new 500 can be driven with the accelerator pedal alone. Releasing the accelerator causes much greater deceleration than with a normal combustion engine, almost as if the brake pedal was pushed. The brake pedal must be used to bring the car to a complete stop, however with daily use and a little experience, it is possible to drive using just the accelerator pedal.
The electric motor has an output of 87kW, providing a maximum speed of 93mph (self-limited) and acceleration from zero to 62mph in 9 seconds and zero to 31mph in 3.1 seconds.
Level 2 autonomous driving and connectivity
The car of the future is not just an electric city car, it is the first car in its segment to offer level 2 autonomous driving, bringing all the associated benefits to urban mobility.
The New 500 electric is the first FCA car to be equipped with the new UConnect 5 infotainment system, the connected platform designed for the future. Developed with the idea of providing customers with a completely new user experience, UConnect 5 is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto operating systems and can be used in wireless mode.
The 500 offers seamless integration with a smartphone, offering a 10.25-inch high-definition horizontal touchscreen with a 16:9 aspect ratio that fits perfectly into the car dashboard.
UConnect 5 combined with the telematic box module not only provides the mandatory Emergency Call feature, but also a number of innovative connectivity services:
- My Remote: checks the battery charge level from a smartphone; schedule vehicle charging during the most convenient time periods; know the exact location of the car; lock and unlock the doors and set the climate control system
- My Navigation: set the destination on the car navigator, identify the route, check the traffic and weather conditions along the route, and see speed camera and charging point locations, all directly from the app
- My Assistant: an assistance system to supplement an emergency call to talk to with assistant to ask for help in the event of breakdown
- My Theft assistance: this tracks the car so that it can be recovered if stolen
- My Wi-Fi: A true hotspot that connects up to eight electronic devices to the network at the same time (this service is only available in some markets)
- My Car: to check the condition of the car, immediately verifying various parameters from tyre pressure to service schedule
The UConnect 5 system works both inside and outside the car, allowing the driver to set the navigation route in advance, and to pre-condition the climate control. Smartphones can be connected in just five seconds using wireless functionality.
The launch version also boasts the natural language interface system, with advanced speech recognition, to talk to the car to control parameters, set the climate control and choose the music.
