Petrol-powered city car will finally enter a new generation after 18 years, using electric 500e underpinnings
The new Fiat 500 will arrive in the UK next summer with a 64bhp hybrid powertrain.
Sold alongside the visually identical 500e EV, the new 500 Hybrid will continue to be offered in both hatch and convertible forms.
At the heart of the Hybrid is a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine and 12V battery – a similar set-up to what was offered by the previous car, but downrated by 5bhp. In the new hatch, that power is sent to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox.
With just 64bhp on tap, speed is limited. The new 500 needs 16.2sec (17.3sec in drop-top form) to reach 62mph from standing. Top speed is rated at 96mph.
The new 500 has a claimed fuel efficiency of 53mpg, similar to the car it replaces. Fiat says the car has been designed for “efficient, urban motoring”.
The new Fiat is vastly different to the car it replaces because it uses the same platform as the 500e.
This was because the old model, which was mechanically 17 years old, fell foul of new EU cybersecurity laws.
This would’ve meant a costly re-homologation effort in order to bring it to standards, so the unprecedented move to retrofit an electric car platform with a combustion engine was seen as the most cost-effective way forward.
Visually, the new 500 looks identical to the electric 500e except for a reworked front grille to feed more air to a petrol engine.
The new Fiat adopts the 500e’s interior, which includes Stellantis’s 10.25in touchscreen. Alongside this, the dashboard features a larger and squarer new storage cubby and the gearlever is elevated alongside the steering wheel – as in the old petrol 500.
The arrival of the new hatch also means production moves from Tychy, Poland to Mirafiori, Turin – where the 500e is built. It is understood that this will help up production rates at the Italian factory amid slow sales of the 500e and its Abarth 500e hot hatch sibling, which led Fiat to pause lines on several occasions last year.
Speaking previously, Fiat CEO Olivier François acknowledged the challenges, saying that the 500 Hybrid will boost production at Mirafiori “to ensure the plant’s productivity”.
He added that launching a new combustion-engined 500 in response to flagging sales of the EV serves as “proof that social relevance is at the core of the brand mission”.
Production of European-spec 500 Hybrids began last week, with right-hand drive models set to start being built from April. Fiat predicts more than 100,000 examples will roll off production lines each year.
