The Fiat/Chrysler stand at the 2010 Detroit auto show is filled with mystery and intrigue. Well, not quite, but it is intriguing to see a Dodge Viper only a few meters (that’s how they measure things in Italy) away from a Ferrari 599XX. As for the mystery, there’s this Fiat 500 BEV.
All we’re being told is that the car is a design study; the PR reps—at least the ones that work for Chrysler—couldn’t provide any additional information. From what we could see from the car rotating on the show stand, the 500 BEV (that’s Battery-Electric Vehicle) appears to be purely a concept at this point. The rear seats, for instance, are still there. The electric version of the Mini, the Mini E, has to sacrifice its rear seats to fit the batteries, and it’s a bigger car than this Fiat. So the Fiat either has the trunk stuffed with batteries, which is unlikely, or there aren’t really any there at all.
Fiat has, however, thought things through enough to switch from a traditional gear lever to some sort of push-button control for shifting to reverse, drive, and neutral, so we won’t be too surprised if a running version appears soon. We can also report from our observations that the concept has four wheels, five-point seatbelts, and, based on totally unsubstantiated rumors, makes pretzels. We like pretzels.
Thanks to: Car and Driver
