Fiat has revealed a new van and a new MPV that revive names from the Italian brand’s not-too-distant past.
The Ulysse MPV, sharing a name with the popular people carrier that was built in the same factory in Hordain, France from 1994 to 2002, will offer various combinations of seating to accommodate six, seven or nine passengers.
The commercial version, called the Scudo in reference to another former Hordain-built Fiat, replaces the Talento. It will be available in single- and crew-cab guises with the option of a flat rear loadbed.
Both vans will be built on parent company Stellantis’s EV-capable EMP2 platform, which is already used by the closely related Peugeot Expert and Traveller, Citroën Dispatch and Spacetourer and Vauxhall Vivaro and Vivaro Life.
Fiat has yet to confirm powertrain details, but the equivalent electric models from its sister brands use a single front-mounted motor producing 134bhp and 192lb ft, which gets them from 0-62mph in around 13.1sec and to a top speed of 80mph. Power is supplied by a 50kWh battery offering 143 miles of range and capable of 100kW rapid-charging.
Like those models, the Fiat will also be offered with a choice of conventional combustion engines and could eventually be the recipient of a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain offering a claimed 249-mile range.
These zero-emission options are part of Stellantis's ongoing electrification strategy, with the group expecting 70% of its sales in Europe and 40% in America to be low-emissions vehicles by 2030.
It plans to invest more than €30 billion (£25.3bn) in electrification and software development by 2025.
