An electric motor will depress consumption in the Cinquecento from February

The Cinquecento is Fiat. Since the Italians reissued the iconic 500 in 2007, it has stood for the traditional Turin brand. And still sells splendidly even in the 13th year of life: last year in nine countries in Europe, number 12 in Switzerland. Not bad for one of the oldest models on the market.

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So far, the Cinquecento has kept fit thanks to the make-up: Fiat has special models like Milanese boutiques and their fashion collections – fresh colors here, racy taillights there. And technically? Ten years ago, Fiat was the model boy in terms of consumption and CO₂Emissions. But now even the 500 is lagging behind as the smallest model: Even its 109 g / km CO₂are above the limit of 95 g / km that has been in force since the beginning of the year – fines are imminent.

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No 48 volt system yet

Therefore, it is no longer possible without electricity. As a result, the 500 will be rolling out to dealers as a mild hybrid from February. Mild? Because its five-horsepower electric motor works directly on the crankshaft, it only helps the one-liter three-cylinder with 70 horsepower and recovers energy when braking. Instead of a lithium-ion battery with 48 volts, the battery under the driver’s seat remains at twelve volts. A 13 year old construction could hardly be more innovative.

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Around 19 percent less consumption

So an emergency solution? Not at all: After the WLTP cycle, the hybrid module reduces consumption to 3.9 l / 100 km and 88 g / km CO₂, And at a low price: as a launch edition with full equipment, the 500 Hybrid costs CHF 16,690; the basic version will hardly be higher than the previous entry price of CHF 15,390.

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