The covers have come off the third-generation Fiat 500, with the latest version of the Italian firm’s iconic city car offered exclusively in electric form.

Arriving as the first fully electric vehicle in the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles group, the new 500 – which debuts some 63 years after the original and around 13 after the second-gen model – boasts a clamed range of up to 320 km and features 85 kW fast charging as standard.

Fiat says the new version – which started with a “blank sheet of paper” – is “more sustainable, connected and autonomous”, than its forebears, adhering to “increasingly stringent regulations”.

The lithium-ion batteries feature a capacity of 42 kWh and can be boosted to 80 percent in 35 minutes using a fast-charger, according to the firm. A new “Easy Wallbox” can be specified in 7,4 kW form, which is enough to provide a full charge at home in “just over six hours”.

The electric motor has an output of 87 kW, resulting in a maximum speed of 150 km/h and a dash from standstill to 100 km/h in a claimed 9,0 seconds.

Inside, you’ll find FCA’s new UConnect 5 infotainment system, complete with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, and manipulated via a 10,25-inch touchscreen. There’s ostensibly a little more space inside, too, since the new 500 is a full 60 mm wider and 60 mm longer than its predecessor, while its wheelbase has been extended by 30 mm.

"We're all in. It's all electric and only electric from day one,” Fiat president Olivier François told Autocar. “With the 500's business success that's a bold decision. But it doesn't feel the time to be timid. This car is not just for 2020, but the next decade. It's built new from the ground up," he said.

Interestingly, Italian website Quattroruote reports the current-generation petrol models will remain on sale in some markets for “some years” to come.

Original article from Car