Fiat 500 hybrid, this is what the mild hybrid citycar looks like. First driving impressions

TORINO - A mixture of glamour and retro, technology (little, but perhaps what is needed) and timeless style. But above all, it has an important task: getting the Mirafiori plant back on its feet. This, in a nutshell, is the 'new' Fiat 500 Hybrid making its debut on the 68th anniversary of the original model at the historic Turin factory, where it is being produced as a variant of the electric Fiat 500, born in 2020 and which has suffered a gradual decline in sales that has jeopardised the Piedmont plant. Thus, Fiat is reintroducing the 500 hybrid, after the end of production of the model born in 2007.

The car, as is well known, is the result of a complex industrial and engineering operation, because, in a necessary but singular technological reverse, the car was born as a modification of a model born as an electric, on a dedicated BEV platform.

The modification required economic and design efforts and inevitable compromises. Due to limitations in the bonnet, between the suspension domes, it was not possible to use a 1.2-litre mild hybrid 48-volt powertrain with automatic transmission, like that of many Stellantis models such as the Grande Panda or Jeep Avenger. The choice fell on the 1,000 cc three-cylinder Firefly series with 65 horsepower, the same as that fitted to the Pandina built in Mirafiori, similar to the old 500 in production until last year in Tychy, Poland. It is a (very) light 12-volt 3-cylinder hybrid with a BSG scheme and a six-speed manual gearbox. And the lack of an automatic transmission for a citycar is perhaps its greatest limitation, which it compensates for with its starting price: 17,000 euros. Three body versions are on offer: saloon, 3+1 with an additional door and with a canvas sunroof.

And this, in a market with average prices at 28,000, is a not inconsiderable advantage that could help to reach the target of 100,000 units per year, starting in 2026 and guarantee employment in the historic plant, which could also resume working on two shifts, and thus also bring benefits on the employment front and induced activities. In short, a breath of fresh air for Made in Italy, even with a model that is sidereally distant from the super-technological models of Chinese competitors. And perhaps it is not a bad thing to return to driving simple but cool-designed cars.

The plan for the development of the 500 and Mirafiori envisages an initial production phase with 5,000 units, and deliveries starting in November with a launch series christened 'Torino' as a tribute to Fiat's hometown.