Fiat Ulysse name revived for electric and diesel MPV

Fiat is reviving the Ulysse name for a van based MPV that’s set to arrive in UK showrooms during 2022. In addition to a range of diesel engines, the newcomer will also be available with an electric powertrain, providing a solution for families in search of affordable practicality and minicab drivers with a spacious model featuring between six- and nine-seats.

Based on Stellantis’ EMP2 platform, the Ulysse is a sibling of the Citroën SpaceTourer, Peugeot Traveller, and Vauxhall Vivaro Life, with a unique nose treatment, the brand’s latest ‘FIAT’ badging and different alloy wheels. While engine specifications haven’t yet been announced, it’s assumed that it will adopt the same powerplants as its sister vehicles, with a choice of 118, 142 or 174bhp power outputs from the 1.5- and 2.0-litre turbodiesel units.

Electric versions of the SpaceTourer, Vivaro Life and Traveller are fitted with a single electric motor under the bonnet, producing 134bhp for a 0-62mph dash of around 13 seconds, and the e-Ulysse is expected to be the same. It’s also likely the Scudo van version will get a choice of either a 50kWh or 75kWh battery pack, giving it a range of around 140 or 200 miles each.

The new Ulysse MPV and Scudo van will be built at the Hordain plant near Valenciennes in northern France, where the original seven-seat Ulysse MPV was manufactured between 1994 and 2002. The plant was first opened in 1992 as a joint venture between Fiat and the PSA Group. The first-generation Ulysse shared its underpinnings with the Citroën Synergie, Peugeot 806 and for European consumption only, the Lancia Zeta.

Stellantis plans for more than 70% of its European sales to be of low-emissions vehicles by 2030, along with more than 40% in the USA, following an investment of more than £25 billion by the year 2025.