Want a small, cheap EV? The Fiat 500e is coming to the US in 2024

It probably hasn't escaped your notice that, among the flurry of new electric vehicles reaching showrooms, there are very few smaller, cheaper EVs. As we noted last week, automakers have been concentrating on the upper end of the market, mostly building premium electric SUVs that bring in fat profit margins (or perhaps costing the OEM smaller losses). But early next year, another smaller, cheaper EV will reach the US—the 2024 Fiat 500e.

We've known for some time that the 500e was US-bound; Fiat broke that news in 2022. But it's now released a lot more information on the 500e, which is coming here at first as a (RED) edition, meaning it might match your iPhone or iPod. Fiat says it's incorporating a "product drop" strategy, so expect other special editions accompanied by as much hype as the automaker can generate, presumably.

Regarding specs, it looks like Fiat used the Mini Cooper SE as the benchmark and then set out to beat it in various attributes. The 500e has a curb weight of 2,952 lbs (1,342 kg), which Fiat says makes it the lightest passenger EV in the segment, so it's about one small adult lighter than the Mini.