Fiat will introduce a 500-based crossover at the Geneva auto show in March, a spokesperson has confirmed. The car is called the L0, or “elle zero”—this from the company that calls the Abarth SS the “esseesse”—and will be sold in the U.S.
Our artist’s rendering, above, borrows styling from both the 500 hatchback and its platform-mate, the Fiat Panda, a city car with crossover styling. The final L0 may be a bit more SUV-ish than van-inspired Panda, and the Panda door handles probably will be swapped for chrome grab bars, like on the 500. We also anticipate a more normal roofline. But in a general sense, what you see here is what we’ll get.
We hope that Fiat bypasses the 500′s underwhelming 101-hp, 1.4-liter inline-four and goes straight to the turbocharged version found in the upcoming 500 Abarth and Dodge Dart. Regardless of the engine, the L0 will have standard front-wheel drive and offer optional all-wheel drive. Since the L0′s underpinnings will come right from the Panda, and that car is offered with all-wheel drive, much of the difficult engineering work has already been done. Before you laugh, take a peek at some videos of the Panda 4×4 on YouTube—it’s pretty damn capable off road.
Figure on sales starting around the third quarter of this year.
Illustration by Christian Schulte
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