Next Fiat 500 to get radical hybrid 13 | 03 | 2017
FIAT CHRYSLER BOSS Sergio Marchionne has admitted the company will “experiment” with alternative power plants for the next generation Fiat 500. The new model is expected to enter Scottish showrooms before 2019.
Marchionne admission points to Fiat ditching the current 1.3-litre MultiJet diesel engine in favour of cleaner 48-volt hybrid technology.
The Italian car giant is currently looking at cleaner and more fuel efficient powertrain options for vehicles across the range. While plug-in hybrids will be slotted into high-end luxury models from Alfa Romeo and Maserati, a more cost-effective approach will be taken in relation to the group’s smallest cars.
“There are very few things that are certain in this market, apart from one; and that is that small displacement diesels are dead,” Marchionne said. “I think everything else is fair play, so we’ll experiment. We will have to play with a variety of solutions.”
The Fiat boss believes a significant drop in production costs would be required before plug-in superminis become a reality. However, he did point to mild hybrids being a logical next step.
“Hybrids are inevitable, I think. Everyone is moving in the right direction. The key question is not the technology, the question is one of cost and whether the consumer will pay,” Marchionne continued.
“As you know, we still make a very large number of small cars, like the Fiat Panda and Fiat 500. It would kill you financially if you put full hybrids into a car in that segment.
“We need to find other solutions, and that’s why I think we need to embrace 48-volt systems in a more realistic way.”
Should Fiat, as Marchionne suggests, go down the 48-volt hybrid route, the next-generation Fiat 500 would clearly be cheaper to run than the current model, and quicker.
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Jim McGill