By the end of 2024, the production of the historic petrol Fiat 500 will also be stopped and will be replaced by new Stellantis branded models. The brand confirmed that after 17 years, the vehicle will be replaced by two new versions, electric and hybrid. In fact, the first will not be affected by the stoppage, which will only affect the endothermic models, as well as the “Abarth 500e”, which should continue to be produced in factories.
Mirafiori relaunch includes electric and hybrid
The electric ones will be produced in the Turin factory, which has been shaken in recent months by the announcement that production of the classic 500 will soon end. From 2025, the Turin headquarters will produce hybrid models as well as fully electric models. However, production in Mirafiori has been stopped until next September 2, when it will restart with only one of the three shifts and layoffs will be made by the end of the year. However, Olivier Francois, CEO of the historic Turin company, wanted to reassure the environment by talking about the relaunch that the hybrid will bring to the brand and therefore to the factory.
Francois explained that the model will also be available with a setup called Torino, in honor of the historic factory. The vehicle will be powered by the Panda’s 1.0 Firefly gasoline engine and a 500 hybrid with around 70 horsepower. According to Stellantis, the car will consume 3.9 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers and emit 116 grams of CO2 per km. The CEO, who said that the starting price should be around 18 thousand euros, explained that “the engine is manufactured in Termoli, the exhaust system in Caivano and the gearbox in Mirafiori. There is no doubt here: we will display the Italian flag. Fiat is the largest brand in the Stellantis group in terms of sales and seven out of ten models are assembled in Italy, a place that is strategic for us and where we continue to invest.”
Response to government threatening to divert PNR funds
The moves by the Carlos Tavarez-led company appear to respond to the demands of the Meloni government, which has threatened to divert Pnrr funds elsewhere: “The government did its part, Stellantis did not,” said the Made in Italy minister Adolfo Urso during the Rimini meeting. “If it does not respond positively to the huge factory project in Termoli, Pnrr resources will be transferred to others, because we cannot afford to lose these funds,” the minister added. Stellantis is also preparing to launch new models, such as the “Mirafiori”, which will be a variant of the electric 500, and the convertible recently presented to celebrate fifty years since the launch of the 131 Mirafiori, of which only 500 examples were built. The vehicle will be available with two different battery packs, 42 kWh or 23.8 kWh.
Source: Today IT
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
