Initially, the Mirafiori plant in Turin, Italy will be able to produce 80,000 Fiat 500 Electric annually.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) announced a major €700 million ($788 million) investment in its main Mirafiori plant in Turin, Italy to build a new assembly line for the all-new Fiat 500 Electric.
The progress is well advanced as the first robot was installed today and the first pre-production 500 BEV will be produced by the end of this year. Series production should start during the second-quarter of 2020.
FCA said also that around 1,200 people will be dedicated to the production of the Fiat 500 BEV with an initial production capacity of 80,000 units annually.
As the best-selling, all-electric subcompact model in Europe (Renault ZOE) reached about 40,000 sales in its best year, it’s not clear how many 500 BEV Fiat will be able to sell in Europe (especially with all the competition from other manufacturers in the segment). We assume that a significant part of the production will be exported to North America, replacing the current Fiat 500e.
“The installation of a state-of-the-art Comau robot today at one of the largest and most historic automotive plants in the world represented a link between past and future, with an event that celebrated the Mirafiori plant’s 80th anniversary and beginning of construction of the assembly line for the new Fiat 500 BEV. This new generation of vehicles continues the long tradition of innovative models (more than 35 in total) that have rolled off the assembly lines at Mirafiori. Among these is the first Fiat 500 which began production in 1957.”
“Today’s celebrations marked the opening of a new chapter for Mirafiori. The platform being installed at the plant is specific to electric cars and its first application will be the Fiat 500 BEV. Today, the first robot was installed and the rest of the plant will be retooled over the coming months. In the body shop alone, there will be a total of 200 robots enabling a fully-automated welding process. Production of the first pre-production models is scheduled to begin by year-end. Around 1,200 people will be dedicated to production of the Fiat 500 BEV and the new assembly line will have an annual capacity of 80,000 units, with the potential for expansion.”
Market launch in less than a year means that soon we should see the production model, as so far Fiat unveiled only the Fiat Concept Centoventi concept at the Geneva Motor Show.
The new electric platform for Fiat 500 Electric is expected to be used also for other models in the future. FCA already announced a broad investment plan in new BEVs and PHEVs.
“”The 500 BEV project is part of FCA’s much broader investment plan for Italy over the 2019-2021 period. In fact, the Group will invest a total of €5 billion to support a substantial renewal of its product range with the introduction of 13 all-new or significantly refreshed models and a comprehensive offering of electric vehicles, including 12 electrified versions of new or existing models.””
Pietro Gorlier, FCA COO for the EMEA Region said:
“This car was entirely conceived, designed and engineered here. It is a genuine product of ‘Made at Fiat’ and ‘Made in Turin’ ingenuity. It is another excellent example of the ability to create and innovate which abounds in our company and in this city. In Turin, we are developing a new electric mobility center of excellence which currently employs 260 people. The new Fiat 500 electric represents just the first phase of our investment plan for Mirafiori. This project will be followed by renewal of the Maserati range, starting with the Levante, and the addition of other models as projected in our business plan.”
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