It’s back: Fiat 500 relaunched in NZ, electric 500e on the way

After a hiatus spanning several years, Ateco Group New Zealand has announced that the Fiat 500 is set to return to the local market in April 2022. 

Fiat’s local arm has confirmed that two flavours of 500, the entry-level Lounge and flagship Dolcevita are set to be offered, alongside the long standing 500 Abarth hot hatch. 

On top of this, an Ateco Group New Zealand spokesperson has confirmed to NZ Autocar that the fully electric 500e is set to land in local showrooms in the second half of 2022. Its pricing and spec details are set to be revealed closer to local launch.

As with the Abarth’s recent update, a big point of focus with the ‘standard’ 500 models is pricing. The pairing will retail for a mere $22,990 and $25,990 each, seeing them jostling with the likes of the Suzuki Swift and Mazda2. 

Both models come with a 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 51kW of power and 102Nm of torque, paired to a Dualogic automatic transmission. 

The Lounge gets a Uconnect 7-inch touchscreen, 3.5-inch TFT cluster, 15-inch wheels, rear parking sensors, leather appointments, integrated voice control, and more as standard, while the Dolcevita throws in chrome exterior detailing, larger 16-inch wheels, a fixed glass sunroof, body-coloured dashboard trim, cruise control, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, and more. 

Buyers can also opt for the optional $3000 Lusso pack, which throws in a different set of 16-inch wheels, leather, and privacy glass.

The forthcoming 500e, meanwhile, comes with a 42kWh battery and a WLTP rated range of up to 321km per charge. It’s effectively a completely different car to the standard 500, with its own styling inside and out, and bespoke features like electric door handles and a digital cluster.

Expect the 500e to be priced to rival the likes of the Peugeot e208 and the Renault Zoe, and inevitably sit well under the government’s Clean Car Discount threshold.