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FIAT Looking To Put An Internal Combustion Engine In The 500e?

In a surprising turn of events, Fiat, under the umbrella of Stellantis, is contemplating a significant shift in its iconic all-electric 500e city car. As sales falter and production targets remain elusive, whispers emerge from suppliers and engineers to various media sources suggesting that Stellantis could be looking at fitting the 500e with an internal combustion engine (ICE). The 500e, once hailed as the beacon of Fiat’s electrification journey, found itself grappling with market realities. Despite initial enthusiasm, Fiat fell short of its production target of 90,000 units in 2023. Now, facing the need for a radical rethink, Fiat is … (read full article...)

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The 500 is just not a style hit for US consumers. ICE or BEV, I don't think it will sustainably get any attraction. As a family of a now former 500, getting service was a PITA - as only select dealers would work on the vehicle, and you had to drive 50 miles sometimes to get minor service changes. Unless that changes, it will always be niche.
 
The only brands that are going to be successful being an electric only brands are the luxury brands. Who wants to pay more for electric Fiat or Chrysler?
 
I believe the 500e could be a strong selling electric in urban markets. It’s appeal falls off in other markets, but could have more appeal with a gasoline engine in both markets. I’ll attempt to by pass my soap box, but the walls of the all- electric brands are crumbling as we speak. This evaluation by Fiat is just acknowledging that reality.
 
The original Fiat 500e compliance car didn't have a high-speed charging port. It was only level one or level 2 charging. Level 2 charging stations are fairly common in larger cities. City cars such as the Fiat 500 don't need large battery packs and can be charged at home in a reasonable amount of time. The lack of charging infrastructure in North America is less critical for a city car than the larger EVs with huge battery packs.

What I would do, if I ran Fiat, is take advantage of the 500e builtin battery capacity and leave enough batteries in the design for at least 100 km of range. Next, I would use the Kokomo built eFlite hybrid transaxle combined with the 3 cylinder Firefly ICE. If the eFlite unit doesn't fit then use someone else's hybrid setup. For North America the Fiat should be a PHEV, not a mild hybrid. The buyers of the Fiat 500e have a different set of expectations compared to other American based Stellantis brands.
 
Please my Daughter loves hers, less expensive ice option.

A segment EVs are about to be dominated by the Chinese. For sure there is room for a Premium A vehicle in the EU but not at high volume
 
I have driven the 3 cylinders in Italy, I would say it would be plenty with a Hybrid system, and more compact size would give room for it.
 
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