Fiat 500e also with a combustion engine due to reduced demand

Fiat wants to increase production of the 500e from 77,260 vehicles to 175,000 in 2023, it is reported. European Car News. According to local sources, around 100,000 of them are said to be petrol engines. The decision to replace an electric car with an internal combustion engine is unusual. Mainly because Fiat already sells the 500 as a combustion engine.

The reasons are different

According to data from Dataforce, Fiat sold more than 104,000 petrol 500s and more than 62,000 500e 500e models in Europe last year. Production of the 500e sub-hybrid powered by a 70hp 1.0-litre petrol engine could not start until late 2025 or early 2026 at the earliest.

Production could not begin for about two years

There may be two reasons for this decision at Fiat. On the one hand, the manufacturer does not want to further develop the current 500 combustion engine in order to comply with the new EU safety rules and cyber security. Instead, Fiat wants to switch to the Panda platform to meet demand by 2027. On the other hand, sales of electric cars in Europe are declining, according to Automotive News Europe.

Italian unions fear that planned production of the 500e will fall from 100,000 cars to almost half. Adding a petrol engine could help reduce sales of the electric version. But it will probably be 18-24 months before production starts.

Fiat 500e 2022 facelift

The Fiat 500e is one of the cheapest electric car versions on the German market. For the 2022 model year, the Italians are refreshing their little car a bit. To make the 500e more attractive in terms of price, the base version of the Fiat 500e Icon in the sedan body variant is now available with two battery variants. The familiar 42 kWh battery is now joined by a version with a capacity of 23.8 kWh. Fiat is developing small batteries for customers who primarily travel short distances in an environment with an optimized charging design. The range according to WLTP is 190 km. With a large battery, up to 322 km is possible. In addition to the range, the new version of the battery also reduces the power of the engine – from 87 to 70 kW. For its part, Fiat softens the buyer’s sacrifice by reducing the starting price by 4,000 euros. The new basic model is available from 27,990 euros.

Top-Modell with Top-Sound

Fiat has also added more for buyers who would like more. Bocelli’s 500e “la Prima” joins the lineup as a new top model. It is characterized above all by a high-quality sound system with 320 watts, which comes from JBL and was handled in collaboration with tenor Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo. Other equipment includes a UV-C lamp in the glove compartment that cleans the contents, UconnectTM 5 infotainment system with a 10.25-inch touchscreen, LED headlights, 17-inch alloy wheels, a charging bed for inductive, and special floor mats , dashboard. trim the woven look with seat covers in ice beige with an embroidered Fiat monogram.

The new Fiat 500e “la Prima” by Bocelli can be ordered in three body styles: sedan, convertible and 3+1 at prices starting at 35,490 euros. Available colors are onyx black, rose gold, arctic white, mineral grey, ocean green and sky blue.