After the flop of its electric “sister”, Stellantis is preparing to launch the new Fiat 500 hybrid on the market: the first prototypes have left the Italian Mirafiori plant. Initially, the mild hybrid variant was supposed to see the light in 2026, but in Europe, motorists desire hybrid engines and are running away from the extremely expensive and inconvenient full electric, which is a failure. Thus, Stellantis has accelerated the debut of this model.
New Fiat 500 hybrid: here are the images of the first models produced
Under the hood will be the 1.0 three-cylinder mild hybrid engine with 70 HP and 92 Nm with front-wheel drive and a six-speed manual gearbox. For the rest, the aesthetic and technical package will be that of the Fiat 500e except for slight frontal updates. That wasn’t the problem, in fact, because the design has always been beautiful. It’s just that no one wants the electric version, mainly due to its poor range and too high price. However, after the debut of the Fiat 500 hybrid, the update of the 500e will also arrive, which will increase its range, and the price will decrease to make the model more accessible.
“The 500 Hybrid offers accessible electrification and iconic style, demonstrating that social relevance is at the center of the brand’s mission,” says CEO Olivier François. “With the 500 Hybrid, we are strengthening production at Mirafiori to ensure plant productivity and meet demand. Our roots are in Italy, and it’s no coincidence that the Panda is produced in Pomigliano and the 500 in Mirafiori.”
Regarding the name, it should simply be called Fiat 500 Hybrid, or “Ibrida” in Italy. The price? The ideal is a basic trim to compete with Dacia. We’re probably talking about a price of around 18,000 euros, like the previous model, although with discounts and attractive offers, the price could decrease further.
Stellantis, born in 2021 from the merger of Fiat-Chrysler and PSA, last year saw its car production in Italy fall to the lowest level in the last 70 years. In December, the company presented a plan to revitalize Italian production, but warned that production numbers would only grow starting from 2026. Producing the 500, an iconic model for Fiat and for Italy, in the historic Mirafiori plant strengthens the link between brand, product, and territory. According to the CEO, production should reach 130,000 units per year, numbers that Fiat really needs in Europe at the moment.
