Fiat confirms pricing for new 500 and Panda Hybrid ranges
New low emission Fiat 500 city car starts from £12,655, while Panda Hybrid sibling is priced from £13,855
Fiat has confirmed prices for the new mild hybrid versions of the 500 and Panda. The brand’s style-led city car option, the 500, will kick off from £12,655 with the new powertrain when it goes on sale in February, while the more practical Panda will follow a month later priced at £13,855.
The new 1.0-litre, three cylinder hybrid setup takes the place of the old 1.2 four-cylinder, bringing with it both reduced fuel consumption and emissions in both the 500 and Panda. The combustion element of the new unit is backed up by a 12-volt belt starter generator, which recovers waste energy under deceleration and stores it in a 11Ah battery.
This energy is then used in several ways: to enable a quicker, more seamless stop/start system which can engage at speeds below 18mph when the car is knocked into neutral, and to deploy up to 3.6Kw - about 5bhp - under acceleration to reduce load on the engine.
The result is that according to Fiat, CO2 emissions have dropped by 30 percent. Officially, the 500 achieves 53.3mpg and emits 88g/km of CO2 based on the WLTP testing procedure, while the Panda manages 49.6mpg and 89g/km.
While power is up by 1bhp over the old 1.2-litre (now 69bhp), peak torque has dropped by 10Nm. With that output deployed to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox, the 500 and Panda Hybrids cover the 0-62mph sprint in 13.8 seconds and 14.7 seconds respectively. Fiat says that the new engine is mounted lower in the car, which has improved the car’s centre of gravity and, potentially, its handling, too.
Initially, the Hybrid variants of both Panda and 500 will be offered in a Launch Edition trim level. These are set apart from the rest of their ranges courtesy of subtle ‘Hybrid’ badging on the boot lid and at the base of the B-Pillar, while it’s finished in a new ‘Dew Green’ paint finish. Inside, the eco-conscious them continues with a special seat fabric weaved from recycled plastic waste - 10 per cent of which is recovered from the sea.
Hybrid Launch Edition models are priced at £16,795 for the 500 and £14,385 for the Panda.
What is a hybrid car? Click here for more on mild, full, plug-in & self charging hybrids...
