Fiat 500 Hybrid: Electric hatch re-engineered for petrol engine, manual transmission
Posted by Car-face@reddit | cars | View on Reddit | 15 comments
i1112k@reddit
We need an Abarth of this with ICE and a good Koni setup ASAP!
YaBoiRian@reddit
Totally agree. I love the look and vibe of the Electric Abarth but that limited range and super high price makes it impossibly impractical for me as someone living rurally
Unfortunately, theyve been on record as saying a hybrid 595 isnt gonna happen because the system is really difficult/impossible to squeeze more performance out of. They have said theyre totally committed to full electric, which is a damn shame.
Its weird that the enthusiast version of the car is electric/automatic only while the tamer, more comfortable fiat version comes with a manual
BUT they have said most recently that they're considering all options and may bring back ICE for their cars (probably because of bad sales). Theyre releasing a new Pulse in 2026 with an ICE so I'm still living in hope :D
i1112k@reddit
To be honest, understand that they are selling a 2008 car, with LCI in 2016. They have over 10-15 different versions of this car in last 5 years. (Talking about 595, 695)
And of course they want to empty their supply, by saying they are not going to produce new 595.
Otherwise their sales of current model would plummet to 0 (not like they are from it, but a lot of them sit in storages).
Also used car market for a good 595 is wilding in EU. Imo it will be 2-3 years, and suddenly ICE Abarth will re-appear.
Simon676@reddit
There's an electric Abarth of this already, and that one is great tbh.
i1112k@reddit
That car is the most utter trash I've seen, range, sound or excitement is awful. Only thing good is the quality of the components themselves and the battery design.
I think its sales number say everything.
V8-Turbo-Hybrid@reddit
I disagree that’s a trash, but I agree needing a hybrid Arbath 595 because hot hatch buyers still want MT.
Derpy_Kirby@reddit
And the 1.0 Firefly Hybrid engine has never been sold in North America before, so I assume that the hybrid is not coming to the States or Canada. RIP.
This will probably be the last Fiat to use that engine, the entire brand is getting consumed into PSA as all their new models are using PSA engines and are on platforms based on PSA’s small and medium platforms.
I’m really questioning the point of Stellantis now. STLA Small and Medium are essentially just PSA rebadges, while the STLA Large platform is based on FCA tech, however there are no PSA brands using that platform yet. It seems less like a merger, and more like Fiat and Alfa didn’t want to make a new platform for their smaller vehicles, while the US brands get nothing for North America, PSA has definitely won in the end by being able to put more Puretech engines in their cars.
nlpnt@reddit
The fact they haven't even stuck a crosshair grille along with a 1" lift and cladding on an Opel Astra and sent it in as a new Dodge to slot in below the Hornet.
Car-face@reddit (OP)
It's a shame they didn't make use of the switch to liberate more interior and luggage space - in larger classes an EV is easier to package, but in this class where the alternative is a tiny 3 cylinder engine and a transaxle, there's simply no packaging benefit for an EV when considering the entirety of the vehicle.
Further demonstrated by the complete lack of exterior changes except for a tiny air dam. By the time we remove the onboard charger (Which needs to be just as big as the charger in larger vehicle classes) along with the drive unit (similarly not that much smaller than a larger EV), you've basically got a 3 or 4 cylinder sized hole under the bonnet.
That's simply an insane price spread. There's plenty of blame for Stellantis, but the fact that switching to a hybrid set up cuts twenty three fucking grand (AUD) from the price is ridiculous, and really points to what this car probably should have been.
There's no getting around the fact that even in something this small it needs 42kWh of battery to make it desireable, which isn't that much cheaper or smaller to package than the 50-odd kWh packs that sit in the classes above it.
It'll get there eventually, but this is a backdown that shows the diversity of solutions required across the market.
gIOonNii@reddit
There simply isn't any space to liberate in this car, everything is already in the front and the battery pack is hanging under the car's floor so I don't think you could gain any space there.
It's a compromised design by default in that department, it's still a 500.
nlpnt@reddit
Yeah, I think the idea is the 500 is basically the sporty coupe version of the Panda which is the car for people who need lots of space in a small footprint.
Przedrzag@reddit
Tbf the entry level 500e only has a 24kWh battery, and the new Renault 5 goes between 40 and 70 kWh. Still, apparently a lot of cost in those batteries that has been cut with the new mild hybrid.
Frankly I think not making it a Prius-style full hybrid is itself a mistake.
budgefrankly@reddit
Renault sell a 42kWh EV for just €8000 more than the hybrid 500: the Renault 5.
EV cars are really just highlighting the difference between manufacturers with actual engineering skill, and those without.
j_demur3@reddit
Electric city cars don't really work though, they seem like they would but completely miss the mark.
The majority of private car owners in European cities aren't using them to access the central cores day-to-day because walking, public transport and taxis are almost always better options then driving any car into them. Then electric cars aren't cheaper to run because few people have their own dedicated parking spaces and even fewer have access to charging in those spaces, so to charge an EV you have to pay for inflated car parking to sit at a charger even before the cost of using it.
Then we have to ask why someone that doesn't seem to need the hassle and expense of car ownership might own a car in spite of that, any car costs a lot to own and run and if a majority do perfectly fine and are barely inconvenienced without one, what convinces someone to be a car owner? It's not driving it in the city, it's hassle-free occasional trips outside of it, to visit family, the countryside, the beach, the next city, etc. Those won't be as nice in a city car versus any other car but still perfectly bearable and you still need to be able to find parking once you're home. If you opt for something like the cheapest 500e the range is so tiny even just a trip to somewhere an hour out of the city without charging at the destination (which is far from a given) you'll need to stop somewhere along your route back.
V8-Turbo-Hybrid@reddit
The 500 isn’t totally intended a practical model beside for city parking.
If you want a practical 500, you should look the 600.