fiat currency is gradually rolling out more variants of 500e electric car. The latest addition to the lineup is a California-themed model called Inspired by Los Angeles, which features a number of trim-specific styling cues, including an exclusive paint color. colorand a sky-high price.
The blue-gray (or blue-gray?) color is called Marine Layer Mist and it was chosen for a very specific reason. Fiat explains that this shade is named after “the coastal marine layer that forms from air masses of different temperatures and densities interacting with each other, a natural phenomenon that from May to June gives City of Angels a sense of magic and complexity.” Gray mirror caps add a bit of contrast.
Inside there are beige upholstery, a soft-touch steering wheel and a Marine Layer Mist dashboard. Fiat also equips a seven-speaker sound system with amplifier and a woofer; it includes four Virtual Venues or sound modes chosen by Italian singer Andrea Bocelli.
Fiat has not made any changes to the powertrain. Source for 500e comes from a single electric motor that draws power from a 42 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery battery packs to power the front wheels with 117 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. Test range is up to 149 miles.
Level 2 driving technology meets standards. It relies on adaptive cruise control and a lane-keeping system to assist the driver on selected roads. It doesn’t make 500e fully autonomous or even hands-free, but Fiat notes that the hatchback is the only electric car in its segment to offer Level 2 capability.
Prices start at $37,595 including a destination charge of $1,595, so the 500e is light years away from its roots as an affordable car for everyone. For context, 500e RED announced in December 2023 with a starting price of $34,095 and the last generation model released in 2007 and still sold new in some European markets (at least until the end of 2024) has price 17,700 Euro (about 19,200 USD at current conversion rate) in Italy.
Manufactured in Turin, Italy, the 500e Inspired by Los Angeles is on sale now and deliveries are expected to begin in the third quarter of 2024. Every 500e regardless of trim comes with a Level 2 home charger or valid charging credit within the Free2move charging network. Looking ahead, the 500 range will grow with the addition of a hybrid modelalthough there’s no word on whether the model will be sold in the United States.
