Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' investors meeting at its Balocco proving grounds in Italy today was surprisingly light on information about the Fiat brand. Where FCA marquees like Jeep, Ram, Maserati and Alfa Romeo will expanding their lineups over the next five years, Fiat will instead be focusing down.
In a nutshell, the Fiat lineup will refocus on refining the 500 model range with an all-new, all-electric 500e coming by 2020. Details are slim at this point, but FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne described it as having a "premium" powertrain with a focus on "city car" performance.
The 500e will be joined by a new 500 Giardiniera model, an all-electric compact wagon with retro-inspired looks sometime before 2022. It's unclear whether the Giardiniera will reach the US; it seems unlikely given FCA's focus on SUVs and high-margin premium vehicles for this market.
The 500 Giardiniera EV's moniker and retro style will hearken back to a compact wagon that ended production in 1975.
Around the same time, the oft-forgotten 500X and 500L models will be updated with hybrid powertrains, rounding out a fully electrified 500 family of vehicles.
The core Fiat brand's new focus on hybrids and EV is part of FCA's 9 billion euro investment in electrification across most of its brands over the next five years.
