South Africa is getting another two electric cars this year in the form of the Fiat 500e and Abarth 500e.
The parent company of both brands, Stellantis, recently held a media event in Gauteng where it confirmed that it will be launching both electric vehicles (EVs) in the second half of 2024.
These two models are the first EVs in South Africa to come from the Stellantis family and will offer two different flavours of driving with one focused on the (relatively) affordable end of the market while the other provides a high-octane driving experience.
Newcomers in a growing segment
It wasn’t that long ago that the sub-R1 million EV bracket held only a single car with the Mini Cooper SE, but the market is starting to expand with new models that are continually shifting the goalposts of what an entry-level EV costs.
The segment is currently led by the GWM Ora at a starting price of R686,950, but it is expected that this will soon be undercut by the incoming BYD Dolphin, which may go as low as R550,000.
The GWM Ora currently holds the title as South Africa’s cheapest electric car.
Enter the Fiat 500e, an electric version of the evergreen city car, which will be competing with these nameplates as one of the cheaper EVs in the country, at least in comparison to the luxury sedans and SUVs sold by other carmakers.
The company has not yet revealed its local pricing, but in the UK the 500e starts at around £28,000, which works out to R670,000 at the current exchange rate.
However, it will likely cost more than this when it arrives here owing to import duties and taxes, which could push the Fiat into the R700,000 bracket with battery-powered crossovers like the BYD Atto 3 and Volvo EX30.
Overseas, the hatchback is sold with two powertrain options consisting of a single electric motor, one of which produces 70kW and 220Nm, while the other generates slightly more power at 87kW while having the same torque.
The base units feature a 24kWh battery good for 190km, though there is a much larger 42kWh cell that allows for 320km between top-ups.
The smaller battery can support a charging cable of up to 50kW, while the higher-capacity option can use a faster 87kW socket.
The interior is modest but stylish with white leather seats, a two-spoke multifunction steering wheel, a floating touchscreen with physical buttons below the aircon vents, and a circular portal for the digital driver display.
The other EV heading for our shores is the Fiat’s energetic sibling – the Abarth 500e.
Like the petrol Abarth 500, the scorpion-badged unit shares the same architecture as its Fiat counterpart but has been reworked to deliver a sportier driving sensation.
It uses the same 42kWh battery, but sees a more powerful e-motor with 113kW and 235Nm, allowing the two-door hatch to rocket from 0 to 100km/h in 7.0 seconds.
The general layout of the cabin is the same, but the Abarth differentiates itself with Sports seats, a blue-and-yellow stitching pattern, and a three-spoke steering wheel with a blue 12 o’clock marker.
The hot hatch has a starting price of £32,861 in the UK, which directly translates to a local price of R780,439, though again it’s very likely that it will cost more than this after import duties are accounted for.
Fiat 500e
Abarth 500e
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