Fiat currently sells two versions of the 500 hatchback, one which hasn’t really changed a whole lot since its initial introduction in 2007 and then the new Fiat 500 Electric which was introduced in 2020.
Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera has reported that Fiat has asked its suppliers if they are able to supply parts to increase production at its factory in Mirafiori, Italy, to 175,000 cars per year. This would be a huge increase of around 100,000 cars and would more than likely be entirely petrol powered Fiat 500 cars.
The possibility of retrofitting the Fiat 500 EV with a petrol engine has come about from the new upcoming cybersecurity requirements in the EU. These new requirements and regulations contain a framework UNECE WP.29 which stipulates that all new cars in the EU must have a cybersecurity certificate and be capable of protecting itself from hackers, by being fitted with electronics. Each car must be able to prove that it can be protected from 70 vulnerabilities. Any Manufacturers that are not complying with the new regulation will face a fine of up to €30,000 (£25,732) per vehicle.
Considering how much of an important car the Fiat and Abarth combustion petrol models are at the moment as we transition away from fossil fuels, it is little wonder the company would work to make it possible to sell it for a little whole longer. In 2023, 173,187 500 models were sold in Europe, 108,943 of those were petrol.
