Chrysler to build an electric version of the Fiat 500 for the U.S. market

Chrysler will build an electric version of the Fiat 500 minicar for sale in the United States, starting in 2012, the automaker said on Monday.

A prototype of the Fiat 500EV was shown at the Detroit auto show. The concept uses an electric motor, an advanced lithium-ion battery pack and an electric vehicle-control unit.

"The Fiat 500 is a small, lightweight platform perfect for integrating electric vehicle technology," said Scott Kunselman, Chrysler's senior vice president of engineering, in a press release.

Chrysler plans to build the gasoline-powered Fiat 500 for the U.S. market. It is scheduled to arrive in Chrysler showrooms, wearing the Fiat badge, late this year.

Also on Monday, Chrysler said it will get up to $48 million from the federal government to build a fleet of 140 plug-in hybrid versions of the Dodge Ram pickup. The plug-in Ram uses a 5.7-liter V8, a two-mode hybrid transmission and the lithium-ion battery pack. Chrysler says the truck can run up to 20 miles on electric power.

The plug-in Ram program replaces an earlier effort to build an hybrid-electric Ram pickup for 2011. Chrysler says that program is canceled.

By Dale Jewett