(Wed 24 Mar 10)

Before you get too excited about the idea of a battery-powered Fiat 500, we should point out straight away that this one is intended for the US only.

It's not being created directly by Fiat either, but by Chrysler, which was recently rescued by the Italians. Chrysler will start building normal 500s for Americans later this year, while the 500EV, as the electric version is being called, is due to arrive on the market some time in 2012.

This may seem like an unusual step for Chrysler, but it has been showing more interest in fuel economy lately than UK residents perhaps realise. It has, for example, developed a hybrid Dodge Ram pickup which, despite being fitted with a 5.7-litre V8 Hemi petrol engine, is expected to be 65% more economical than non-hybrid versions.

Comment on this story on Facebook or Twitter.

Previous: Skoda Swapping                                                 Next: Sporty Honda Jazz