2024-09-15 04:20:35
Fiat is temporarily halting production of the electric 500e model due to insufficient demand for the eco-friendly city car.
The Stellantis giant has confirmed that the 500e line at the Mirafiori plant in Turin will stop for four weeks from September 13, meaning that for the first time since 2007, no new Fiat 500 of any kind will be produced in Europe.
“The measure is necessary due to the current lack of orders related to the deep difficulties facing all producers, especially European ones,” Stellantis said in a statement.
The petrol-powered Fiat 500, which was assembled in Poland, was stopped from production in the summer because it did not meet new cyber security laws and had to invest a lot of money to update it.
Instead of revamping the 500 with an internal combustion engine, Fiat decided to create a new hybrid model from the electric 500e by fitting a small petrol unit and an electric motor. But that car, the 500 Hybrid, won’t be ready until late next year.
The 500 Hybrid will be assembled alongside the electric variant at the historic Mirafiori plant, which is undergoing a €100 million renovation to be ready for Fiat’s reconfigured electrification plans.