Fiat has learnt from its mistakes and they have finally started production of the hybrid version of the 500. Earlier, Fiat went all electric with this model but they faced multiple factory closures due poor demand of the electric variant. The 500 hybrid will come to customers in November and Fiat aims to build 5,000 units before the end of this year.
The plant in Turin will be producing the 500 and while it has a capacity of 100,000 cars in a year, it could only produce 25,000 cars last year due to low demand of the electric model. This made Fiat reconsider their efforts into the EV space and they started working on the hybrid version of the 500 because that is what people actually wanted.
The ICE Fiat 500 features a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder naturally aspirated engine which produces 70 bhp and is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. This is the engine which featured in the 500 earlier as well and has been around for over a decade. The Fiat 500e platform was actually not built for a combustion engine but Fiat had to invest and modify it to address the falling demand.
The ICE Fiat 500 will be available in three body styles. There is the regular hardtop, the soft-top and there is also a 3+1 configuration which adds a tiny door on the 500 for easier ingress of rear passengers. From the looks of it, the only visual change between the ICE and the electric model is the presence of a grille at the front to aid with engine cooling.
This is however not where Fiat’s problems end. The introduction of the ICE powered 500 means that the Steallantis group will have troubles with fleet wide emission targets and they can see hefty fines levied on them. The new regulations kick in in 2027.