A good way to make yourself upset is to log on to the UK website of virtually any automaker and gawk at all of the amazing small and electric cars that are sold in Europe but aren’t sold here, for reasons. Fiat is adding another one more to the shelf with the Fiat 500 3+1.
I’ll excuse the silly name because I like this thing, and it is an improvement on the sedan and convertible versions of the second-generation, all -electric modern 500, both of which only have a measly two doors.
Fiat says it did this without lengthening or widening the 500, and it also managed to do this while only adding around 66 pounds to the car’s weight.
There’s also a fancy launch edition:
The New 500 3 + 1 “la Prima” stands out for a series of exclusive details: full LED headlights with “Infinity” design, 17” two-tone diamond wheels and chrome inserts on the windows and side. Eco-leather seats, dashboard and steering wheel, Fiat monogram on the seats, two-tone steering wheel and dedicated “la Prima” plate on the pillar.
The 3+1 also has most every other feature you would expect on a modern car, like driver assistance systems and air-conditioning. Fiat will offer the electric 500 in two different ranges—about 111 miles per WLTP or around 200 miles in the upgraded version. And while Fiat didn’t release full pricing, the electric 500 will start at the euro equivalent of around $23,550 in Italy after incentives. Fiat’s argument for the short-range version would be convincing if I lived in a place (Europe) that had functioning public transportation.
The customers of the Nuova 500 ACTION are young people who have a hectic life, a daily routine made up of short trips, but who need an eco-responsible car. So autonomy for urban use and excellent safety, thanks to all the ADAS.
The ACTION is also the perfect car for millennials who love alternative mobility such as car-sharing.
The New 500 ACTION is equipped with a Lithium-Ion battery with a capacity of 23.8 kWh which allows a range greater than 180 km with the WLTP cycle, which exceed 240 in urban use. And considering that, on average, daily use is below 50 kilometers, it means that the customer will need to charge his Nuova 500 every few days.
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Designed for a young audience, the New 500 ACTION comes standard with all the ADAS useful for city driving, such as the Drowsy Driver Detection which monitors the driver’s concentration level; the Autonomous Emergency Braking , that is the automatic emergency braking that also recognizes cyclists and pedestrians; the Lane Keep Asssit , the system that when it detects a deviation of the trajectory warns the driver with an alert to return him to the lane; and Traffic Sign Recognitionwho reads the road signs and suggests the speed to keep. While, as regards connectivity, the New 500 ACTION presents an infotainment system designed for those who want to always be connected. This is “smart audio”. Which consists of one s martphone Cradle , an ergonomic base for housing both vertically and horizontally on their smartphone, a Bluetooth connection through which the smartphone connects to the built-in speakers of the Nuova 500 and an APP dedicated use and that allows a perfect interaction . In this way, the smartphone becomes the center of the car’s infotainment.
Fiat says the 3+1 represents the “completion” of the 500 debuts, in addition to, earlier, the sedan and convertible, meaning I guess we’re not gonna get a wagon version, while an electric Abarth version (which, to be clear, would completely rule) also doesn’t seem to be in the cards.
Of the small electric cars that sell overseas but not in the US, I still like the Honda E the best, but the 500 3+1 sure looks like a contender.
