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Fiat is preparing to launch its latest 500e in the U.S. this spring, though the model has already been on sale in Europe for quite some time––since 2020, to be exact. However, Fiat has made an impromptu decision to reverse course on its EV-only lineup, which means the latest 500e will eventually spawn an ICE variant.
This likely stems from the recent lull in EV demand, which comes as a concern for Fiat following its decision to bid farewell to the older gas-powered 500 in Europe this summer. The previous 500 sold in much larger numbers than the new EV has––104,000 ICE 500s were sold in Europe last year, while only 62,000 customers bought the electric variant.
Automotive News Europe reports that Fiat could have spent its funds on bringing the older, combustion-powered 500 up to par with Europe's latest standards, but it has instead decided to pour that money into updating the Panda (which will soon be called the Pandina with the launch of a new Panda EV) to meet those same rules.
With the old gas-powered 500 approaching the chopping block, Fiat is now preparing to boost sales by installing an ICE engine into the body of the newer EV. The news has been confirmed to Automotive News by suppliers, following initial rumors from an Italian newspaper by the name of Corriere della Sera. The combustion-powered 500 will pack a mild hybrid system alongside a 1.0 liter three-cylinder engine, making a rather paltry 69 hp. This model will be built alongside the fully electric 500e at Fiat's Mirafiori factory in Turin, Italy.
The new gas-fed 500 won't go on sale until late 2025 at the earliest, which means there will be a long hiatus in Europe after the older 500 departs this July. That's because developing the mild hybrid 500 is expected to be a long, strenuous process––the new 500e was never meant to accommodate a combustion engine, so retrofitting the new powertrain won't be an easy feat.
While the new mild hybrid 500 has essentially been confirmed for Europe, U.S. availability hasn't been mentioned. If we had to guess, Fiat is planning to bring it to our shores as well, given that a small EV doesn't have much of a use case for the majority of Americans. Let's just hope that importing the ICE model doesn't take as long as it did for Fiat to bring the EV stateside.
Image Credits: Fiat
Report
Mar 28, 2024
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Fiat 500e Rumored To Spawn Gas Variant As EV Demand Slows Down
Fiat has pulled the plug on the older combustion 500 in Europe, but a replacement looms.
Fiat is preparing to launch its latest 500e in the U.S. this spring, though the model has already been on sale in Europe for quite some time––since 2020, to be exact. However, Fiat has made an impromptu decision to reverse course on its EV-only lineup, which means the latest 500e will eventually spawn an ICE variant.
This likely stems from the recent lull in EV demand, which comes as a concern for Fiat following its decision to bid farewell to the older gas-powered 500 in Europe this summer. The previous 500 sold in much larger numbers than the new EV has––104,000 ICE 500s were sold in Europe last year, while only 62,000 customers bought the electric variant.
Automotive News Europe reports that Fiat could have spent its funds on bringing the older, combustion-powered 500 up to par with Europe's latest standards, but it has instead decided to pour that money into updating the Panda (which will soon be called the Pandina with the launch of a new Panda EV) to meet those same rules.
With the old gas-powered 500 approaching the chopping block, Fiat is now preparing to boost sales by installing an ICE engine into the body of the newer EV. The news has been confirmed to Automotive News by suppliers, following initial rumors from an Italian newspaper by the name of Corriere della Sera. The combustion-powered 500 will pack a mild hybrid system alongside a 1.0 liter three-cylinder engine, making a rather paltry 69 hp. This model will be built alongside the fully electric 500e at Fiat's Mirafiori factory in Turin, Italy.
The new gas-fed 500 won't go on sale until late 2025 at the earliest, which means there will be a long hiatus in Europe after the older 500 departs this July. That's because developing the mild hybrid 500 is expected to be a long, strenuous process––the new 500e was never meant to accommodate a combustion engine, so retrofitting the new powertrain won't be an easy feat.
While the new mild hybrid 500 has essentially been confirmed for Europe, U.S. availability hasn't been mentioned. If we had to guess, Fiat is planning to bring it to our shores as well, given that a small EV doesn't have much of a use case for the majority of Americans. Let's just hope that importing the ICE model doesn't take as long as it did for Fiat to bring the EV stateside.
Image Credits: Fiat
