Chrysler has revealed it is to launch a new all-electric car into the US market based on the Fiat 500.
Shown earlier this year at the 2010 North American International Auto Show, the Fiat 500EV prototype was the first electric car built through the US carmaker’s alliance with Fiat. The carmaker has announced that it expects to launch the new model by 2012.
The news comes as the Chrysler LLC group also announce that it is also to produce a plug-in hybrid version of the Dodge Ram, after being awarded a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant of up to $48 million as part of a $2.4 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act DOE Vehicle Electrification program. The group is planning to build a total of 140 Ram PHEVs for a three-year demonstration project that would see models distributed across the United States.
The small electric 500 however, is part of the carmakers plans to produce a range of smaller cars using Fiat’s know-how and vehicle platforms. Last year, the group announced that it would built its own version of the Fiat 500 with a combustion engine for US market. That vehicle is set to debut in late 2010.
“The alliance with Fiat presented new opportunities to merge Chrysler Group engineering knowledge with new platforms and the Fiat 500EV is an outstanding example of our efforts,” said Scott Kunselman, Senior Vice President Engineering—Chrysler Group LLC. “The Fiat 500 is a small, lightweight platform perfect for integrating electric-vehicle technology.”
The Fiat 500EV will use an advance lithium ion battery and a high power electric powertrain. Beginning in 2012, Chrysler Group will manufacture the Fiat 500EV for the United States market. All powertrain engineering and vehicle development will take place at Chrysler Group headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan with pricing to be announced closer to launch. However the carmaker says that the new electric car will be ‘competitive with similar electric vehicles’ in the market, with its main competition expected to be the Nissan Leaf, to be launched in the US market later this year.
Fiat and Chrysler agreed their strategic alliance back in June 2009.
