AN Italian car maker has announced the exact date that its iconic hatchback will be available to motorists.
The new hybrid version of the iconic motor will be coming to UK roads this year boasting a new look and at a much lower price point than expected.
The new hybrid will use a 12V battery[/caption]
Production is set to begin later this year[/caption]
Fiat announced that their new Fiat 500 hybrid will be put into production in November this year with a target of 5,00 units by the end of the year.
The fresh take on the classic hatchback will be produced at the firm’s Mirafiori plant in Turin, Italy.
The motor will boast the same 1.0-litre three-cylinder mild-hybrid Firefly engine that powers the old 500 and Fiat Panda.
Almost identical to the 500e the new Fiat 500 hybrid has been given a reworked front grill to feed more air to the petrol engine.
Fiat aims to manufacture over 100,000 units per year of its new hybrid 500 small car.
Parent Stellantis is betting on the model reviving its ailing production in Italy, the brand’s head Olivier Francois said on Friday.
Stellantis was created in 2021 from the merger of Fiat Chrysler and France’s PSA-Peugeot.
Last year the firm manufactured 475,000 vehicles in Italy, from over 751,000 in 2023.
Francois said during a media preview of the car, when some prototypes of it were shown to press, “That’s the 500 for real people, the pragmatic 500.”
The new hybrid 500, to be manufactured from November in the Mirafiori complex in Turin, Italy, along its existing fully electric (EV) version, will cost a surprisingly low 17,000 euros ($20,000), Francois said.
Production of the 500 EV, which costs almost 30,000 euros, amounted to just 25,000 units last year.
The firms Mirafiori plant suffered several stoppages due to low demand and workers put on furloughs.
The Fiat CEO said the brand has plans to introduce an upgraded and more affordable version of the 500 EV in 2027, with a targeted selling price of “20,000 euros or even less”, mainly thanks to batteries that will be made in-house.
Stellantis is also working on the new generation of the 500, expected around 2030, to be produced in Mirafiori.
The cars will be made at the firm’s Mirafiori plant[/caption]
The firm aims to produce 100,000 units a year[/caption]
“We’re designing it now, it will be electric and also hybrid depending on regulation and market response in coming years,” Francois said.
Pre-series models have reportedly already rolled off the production line.
The model will be available in the UK in two configurations: the classic Hatchback and the Cabrio, the only convertible in its segment.
A 12v lithium battery will boost the little hybrid’s performance and enhance fuel efficiency.
A modern interior will offer a digital display complete with a customisable 10.25 inch touchscreen.
Full wireless compatibility with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto allows for safe smartphone integration.
What is Stellantis?
Stellantis is the company behind iconic motor brands such as Fiat, Vauxhall and Peugot.
The conglomerate, which is the second-largest maker of cars in Europe, owns 14 badges, including Chrysler, Citroen, Jeep and Maserati.
The company itself is the product of a merger between Fiat-Chrysler and France’s PSA, the maker of Peugeot and Citroen, in 2021.
But the motoring giant has encountered increasingly stuttering financial success.
And an initial manufacturing break at Stellantis has now been extended as bosses report a collapse in demand for electric cars.
