8:18 am, May 22, 2025
Electric city cars are a ‘no brainer’ for customers and the segment should be drving EV sales in Europe.
That is the verdict of Fiat boss Gaetano Thorel who believes that inner city driving lends itself to motorists going green.
The A-Segment city car class has been rapidly declining in recent years, largely due to the rise in EVs, however Thorel sees no reason why this needs to be the case.
The success of the 500e and B-segment Grande Panda Electric, shows that the demand for small and affordable cars is still there, and Fiat’s European boss believes that the smaller end of the market should be leading the transition to eco-friendly driving.
Speaking at the international launch of the new Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid, Thorel told the PA News Agency: ‘I personally think the electric transition is something right in the mid to long-term, probably.
‘At the end of the day, the customer drives the choice and demand, and if you think about other industries for a moment, when we moved from mobiles to smartphones or televisions to LCD flat screens, all these evolutions were all customer driven and not regularmentation driven.’
He added: ‘I think electric remains a solution, and I believe that electric city cars are driven in places like London or Milan.
‘It should be a no-brainer for two reasons because the range is not a problem anymore and recharging shouldn’t be an issue if you have a wallbox at home.
‘The perception should tell you that electric cars should be from the city car segment.’
The Grande Panda Electric is on sale now priced from £21,035, while the 500e starts from £25,035.
