Fiat plans to release a new car called the Ibrida in 2026. It will be a hybrid version of their popular Fiat 500 model. As per reports, the Ibrida will replace the current Fiat 500 petrol model, which has been around for 18 years.
The Fiat 500 Ibrida will be made in Italy at the Mirafiori plant, not in Poland at the Tychy factory. The Italian plant already manufactures the current Fiat 500e EV hatchback.
Significance of Petrol 500 for Fiat
The 500 Ibrida will use the same Firefly 1.0-liter mild-hybrid petrol engine as the current 500 and Fiat Panda. However, Fiat might move from the existing 500’s platform, based on the 2003 Panda, to the unique architecture of the 500e.
Putting a petrol engine in an electric car in Europe has never been done before. In March, some reports implied Fiat decided to do this for two main reasons. Firstly, they needed to increase production at the Mirafiori plant because sales of the 500e and its Abarth 500e version were low. In February, Fiat reduced the shift number and thought about stopping production if sales didn’t improve.
Another challenge was continuing the sale of the Petrol 500 because it didn’t meet new cybersecurity standards set by the EU. In order to meet these standards would require spending a lot of money on re-certification.
The petrol 500 is very important for Fiat. Out of the 173,187 new 500s sold in Europe last year (including Abarth models), 108,943 were petrol-powered. Also, producing the 500 Ibrida sets the stage for a new version of the Abarth 595 hot hatch. However, Fiat’s performance-focused brand hasn’t officially confirmed this yet.
Will Electric or Hybrid Fiat 500 Arrive in India?
Fiat doesn’t sell cars in India anymore. However, the Italian automaker used to sell the 500 hatchback with a 1.3-liter MultiJet diesel engine. Also, the company launched the Abarth 595 for a limited period in the country, which certainly didn’t work.
