Fiat 500e with an engine?! Yes please.

[SB1500]

I came across this article earlier:

Electric Fiat 500 could be given petrol engine | Autocar

Current petrol 500 could be replaced by a converted 500 EV as new EU cybersecurity rules come into force

www.autocar.co.uk

They're going to put a real engine in the latest Fiat 500e. If it brings the cost down and future-proofs it into more than a 7 year battery lifespan, I don't see how it could be a bad thing.

Would you buy one with a more reasonable price tag?

 

[dantay999]

That article isn’t accurate as the new 500e is built on a brand new production line that cost 700 million euros and a further 50 million euros for the paint shop. The 500e runs on a complete ground-up new platform that has nothing in common with any other Fiat or Stellantis group products. I think it would be a massive mistake to take the car backwards by putting a combustion engine in it, the new Panda can fulfill that remit. On the question of cost I just purchased a pre-reg 500e Action model on a 73 plate with 3 miles on the clock for £12995…..less than half list so if you look you don’t need a combustion version for affordable motoring……range is another thing but this is a second car.

 

[varesecrazy]

Last reports I read the 500e production has been on a 3 day week for months, as sales have slowed dramatically

It's up there with Tesla as purpose-built Electric cars

ALL car manufacturers are see quiet drops in sales, interesting times

 

[dantay999]

Last reports I read the 500e production has been on a 3 day week for months, as sales have slowed dramatically

It's up there with Tesla as purpose-built Electric cars

ALL car manufacturers are see quiet drops in sales, interesting times

Yep, the bottom has completely dropped out of lower range ev’s the 500e Action, Honda e, Mazda MX-30 etc but it’s a lot of good quality car for the same price as the 2007 (origin) Tychy built combustion classic so it works for me. For people that can use them as a second car these are perfect at the current prices.

Battery tech needs to massively improve performance and cost wise before it’s ready for prime time with no reservations.

 

[varesecrazy]

At £12k I could look harder,
but the range is too tight for me

 

[dantay999]

Yeah it’s really 90 stress free miles, but again, as a second car that’s fine. The build quality is light years ahead of my 22 plate hybrid 500 that cost £14500! It drives so much better……quieter…..safer etc etc etc. It’s a really nice piece of product design and engineering. There is nooooo way I’d ever have paid 27k for it!

 

[SB1500]

Yeah it’s really 90 stress free miles, but again, as a second car that’s fine. The build quality is light years ahead of my 22 plate hybrid 500 that cost £14500! It drives so much better……quieter…..safer etc etc etc. It’s a really nice piece of product design and engineering. There is nooooo way I’d ever have paid 27k for it!

I wish Fiat had been able to economically stay independent and have already made this into a basic replacement Panda… a Tipo… a 500X maybe even a 500L competing with the Peugeot / Vauxhall people carriers. That would be an alternative timeline though at this stage..

The current 500 and Panda should still be available like they are but at a much lower price reflecting the older (but still appealing to the buyer) equipment and platforms. They’ve been building them long enough that I’d be surprised if they couldn’t be getting the parts all mass produced for so little now. The R&D contribution on those models must be well, well paid off and more now!

The strength of the current older models is nothing short of amazing. Still strong sales / segment leading. Not many cars would survive this long with such little revision. Not many cars can survive that 0 star NCAP smear campaign 6 years on with barely any revisions. Long live the Panda and 500!

Although I did get a newsletter the other day from Fiat saying to get a Fiat 500 Hybrid now in its last year. So they must have the plans set in stone to shutdown the assembly line soon

 

[dantay999]

The 500 (2007 release) based on the Panda platform was due to end production in Poland last year but they stretched it to this year for rhd models as the UK doesn’t have the same platform security regs as the EU at the moment.

The 500 (2007 release) based on the Panda platform is starting or has started production in Algeria for markets in that region where emission control and crash regs are less stringent so it’s going to be made and sold for many years to come.