1973 Fiat 500 Giardiniara on 2040-cars

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Fiat recalls nearly 30,000 Fiat 500L models

Fiat has announced a recall of 29,500 Fiat 500L hatchbacks in the US and Canadian markets due to concerns that the roomiest member of the Fiat range features knee airbags that won't deploy unless the occupant's seatbelt is fastened.
There have been no injuries reported due to this issue, which affects vehicles from model years 2014 and 2015. Of the nearly 30,000 vehicles covered in this recall, 25,500 come from the US market, while the remaining 4,000 are from Canada. It's not clear what the underlying cause of this issue is.
Fiat knows of no injuries relating to this problem. As per usual, owners will be notified and asked to report in for a free repair.

Fiat 500e will be Stellantis' EV test run in the U.S.

LOS ANGELES – While we're excited for the Fiat 500e's arrival in the U.S., and we think there's a clear niche for it, we still had loads of questions about what models were coming, if any changes would be made and what else might be coming for the Italian brand. And in a roundtable interview with Fiat Brand CEO Olivier Francois, we learned all that and more. So let's go over the fascinating electric future of Fiat in the U.S. The Future is 500 And when we say that it's 500, we mean only 500e. Francois revealed that, although it's not going away immediately, the 500X crossover will be discontinued when this generation reaches the end of its lifecycle. His reasoning for this move is that only one model really struck a chord with American buyers: the regular 500. He pointed out that it had, at once point, 60% of the ultra-small segment ahead of Mini. And it was successful because it was an iconic car that met a very specific niche for a very specific buyer: something small and stylish that worked well as a commuter and city car. He noted that the 500L, with a focus on practicality, wasn't something that a mainstream buyer was looking for, nor that niche buyer. And it's a similar case for the 500X. So the brand is shifting back to its most popular, core model, and it has no plans in the near term to expand beyond that. Exactly which 500e variants will be offered here is still being decided. There are three versions in Europe right now, the hatchback, soft-top and quirky three-door (with a half-door on the passenger side a la Mazda MX-30). They will be joined by a sporty Abarth version soon. Francois noted that they could start with one version and offer others later, or perhaps the hatch and convertible simultaneously. The three-door seems unlikely, as there isn't much demand for such a small car with a marginally easier-to-access rear seat. The Abarth is something Francois said he would like to offer here (and we would love to accept), but that will likely be determined by how well this new Fiat strategy works. He did say that any of them could be offered, but it depends on the brand's success and strategy. One interesting tidbit that could complicate the convertible is that the most successful states for the 500 were California and Florida, which are both states were convertibles don't do great.

Fiat E-Ducato is Stellantis' first all-electric delivery large van

MILAN, Italy — Stellantis on Thursday launched its first fully electric large van, the Fiat E-Ducato, as part of its bid to expand its range of battery electric and hybrid vehicles. Stellantis has said it would offer electric versions of almost all of its European lineup by 2025, as the auto industry faces regulatory pushes in Europe and China to accelerate the shift to zero-emission vehicles. The E-Ducato, is already available for orders to clients and will be followed this year by other similar large vans produced by Stellantis under the Peugeot, Opel and Citroen brands. The E-Ducato's performance can match that of a diesel van, Fiat says, with the electric motor producing torque of 206 pound-feet and up to 122 hp. Acceleration of 0-50 km/h (31 mph) is done in 5 seconds. The E-Ducato has two battery blocks available: 47 kWh and a best-in-class 79 kWh, and will ultimately have four types of charging modes, three of them available at launch. Range figures in an urban delivery setting are 146 miles with the 47-kWh battery, and Fiat say the E-Ducato can travel up to 229 miles on a charge in a more urban delivery setting. It can take a 60-mile charge in a half-hour. Batteries have a warranty of 8 years/99,000 miles on the 47-kWh model and 10 years or 136,000 miles on the 79-kWh version. The E-Ducato is produced in Atessa, Stellantis' only plant in Italy running almost at full capacity, but will have its electric powertrain installed in Turin's Mirafiori. Stellantis, formed at the start of this year through the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot maker PSA, is Europe's largest light commercial vehicle maker. It already offers full electric versions of medium-sized vans and said it would start deliveries in Europe of its first medium-sized vans powered by hydrogen fuel cells by the end of this year. The E-Ducato was developed in a partnership with delivery service DHL.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.