The Fiat 500X is ready to get replaced by a brand new SUV that can supply the choice of an electrical powertrain, and it’s been spied testing in Europe.
The outside styling seems to be an evolution over the outgoing 500X, with the same form and 500-inspired design components retained like the massive spherical headlights and rectangular tail lights.
Nevertheless, the inside is kind of a bit totally different from the outgoing SUV. There’s a big, round instrument cluster – shades of Mini – together with an oblong, tablet-style touchscreen sitting atop the centre stack.
The brand new crossover is anticipated to share its platform with the lately revealed Jeep Avenger, in addition to different Stellantis fashions just like the Citroen C4 and Peugeot 2008.
It’s set to enter manufacturing at Stellantis’ plant in Tychy, Poland alongside the Avenger and an upcoming entry-level Alfa Romeo crossover.
Judging by the superior state of this prototype, a reveal might happen this 12 months.
It’s unclear simply how giant the Fiat SUV might be. The Jeep Avenger measures simply 4.08m lengthy, whereas a Peugeot 2008 is 4.3m lengthy. The outgoing 500X is someplace within the center at 4.24m lengthy.
Whereas all automobiles on the Frequent Modular Platform are front-wheel drive, Jeep has previewed an all-wheel drive model of its Avenger.
If the Fiat follows its Jeep sibling, it’ll use a 115kW/260Nm electrical motor and a 54kWh nickel manganese cobalt lithium-ion battery.
Claimed electrical vary within the Avenger is 400km on the stricter WLTP cycle, whereas it has a 400V electrical system and helps DC charging at as much as 100kW.
In markets like Italy and Spain, the Avenger can be provided with a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with 74kW of energy, mated with a six-speed guide transmission.
Peugeot lately revealed a brand new mild-hybrid 1.2-litre three-pot to exchange this engine in its automobiles, and given Stellantis’ propensity for platform and half sharing and Fiat’s plans to supply combustion energy till 2030, it might filter into different fashions.
The 101kW/230Nm Miller cycle turbo three-pot is paired with a 21kW/55Nm electrical motor, which might present an additional 9kW of energy to the engine beneath full acceleration.
The motor, inverter, and ECU are all housed within the electrified six-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The 48V lithium-ion battery is put in beneath the entrance left seat.
Peugeot says there’s fully electrical driving capability, albeit solely to “begin, manoeuvre and drive at low pace in heavy site visitors”, which Peugeot says nonetheless accounts for greater than 50 per cent of city driving. The automobile may coast with the petrol engine off.
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Abarth Pulse
Whereas the Fiat 500X remains to be provided in markets like Europe and the US, it was axed domestically in 2021 because the model “refocused in direction of client preferences”.
Fiat now sells solely the ageing 500 metropolis automobile and huge Ducato van, although it’ll lastly acquire a brand new mannequin this 12 months with the electrical 500e.
The 500X is Fiat’s solely SUV in Europe, until you depend variations of the Panda and Tipo with plastic cladding affixed.
In Latin America, the place Fiat enjoys a powerful presence and a wider vary – it’s the primary model in Brazil, for instance – it additionally provides the Pulse and Fastback ‘coupe SUV’.