The Fiat 500 needs to be
replaced to remain competitive. Expected to maintain a retro design while
employing a radical hybrid tech, its successor is already on the table over at
FCA, but it's believed that it won't launch before 2019.
Adding the new hybrid tech means that the city car
will wave goodbye to the 1.3-liter MultiJet diesel in favor of a 48-volt hybrid
system, as part of the parent company's plans of reducing carbon dioxide
emissions across their entire vehicle range.
The 48-volt systems are seen as the right approach,
from a cost-effective point of view, as adding full hybrids into a car such as
the Fiat 500 could kill it.
If this is FCA's solution, then expect the new Fiat
500 to be more expensive over its predecessor, while becoming faster and
cheaper to run.
