The Fiat Panda and 500 in Europe will benefit from 12V mild hybrid tech from March 2020, as they receive a new 1.0-litre 3-cylinder engine assisted by a belt-driven starter-generator.
Fuel economy stands at 53.3mpg for the mild hybrid 500 and 49.6mpg for the mild hybrid Panda. The 500 Mild Hybrid emits 88g/km of CO2 and the Panda Mild Hybrid emits 89g/km of CO2.
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Both models will have a new 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder unit with 70hp in place of the old 1.2 four-cylinder engine.
The petrol engine is assisted by a 12-volt belt-integrated starter generator. This mild hybrid system can store energy in a small 11Ah battery when slowing down, and then give the petrol engine a boost when accelerating – up to 3.6kW, or around 5hp.
Fiat claims that, compared with the old 1.2, this new powertrain reduces CO2 emissions by 30% depending on the model.
Along with the new engine and mild hybrid system, the updated Fiat Panda and 500 will gain a six-speed manual gearbox, to replace the old five-speed. The electric assistance also means that at low speeds, drivers can shift into neutral to shut down the petrol engine and let the car drive on electric power alone.
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By GlobalDataThe updated models will be Fiat’s first foray into electrified small cars, before it is expected to introduce a fully-electric version of the 500 (‘500e’) later this year.
