Auto Express reports that Fiat is mating their ultra-efficient TwinAir, two-cylinder 900cc engine with a hybrid powertrain. Destination: A Fiat 500 that could get 100+mpg and an emission rate of 70g/km. The plan is to put a small 5kW (8bhp) electric motor into the gearbox casing. The TwinAir engine is so small, there will be space under the hood for the battery.
The article also posits that the cell could power some of the car’s ancillary components when the stop-start system shuts off the engine. In Europe, because Fiat build their 500’s in the same factory as the Ford Ka (they share the same platform), there’s a possibility that Fiat could offer the powertrain to Ford, also. However, one thing leaves me cold. All this technology is great and the 100+mpg figure is brilliant, but incorporating a hybrid powertrain in a car of this class could send the vehicle out of the price bracket where it should be competing. Could Fiat better spend their research budget better by improving the fuel economy of their bigger cars? One could argue that they could spend the money to improve their reliability, but I couldn’t possibly comment…
I don’t know, you live in Europe, with rape-like gasoline prices and a car like this leaves you cold?
As I said in the article, it leaves me cold because I fear that the extra technology will increase the price so much, it’ll push itself out of the price bracket it’s supposed to be competing in.
However, since you ask….
I think petrol is priced too cheap and I would LOVE it if petrol prices went up. Now let’s put aside inflation and the cost of other goods going up as that’ll follow the logic I’m about to present.
If petrol prices went up further, it’ll stop extremely stupid people (the ones who buy whacking great big SUV’s, even though they only have 2 children) from buying big cars which they don’t need. There’s too much waste in this country. People waste their money on crap they don’t need (iPhones, designer clothes, etc), but petrol? That goes up by 1p and everyone is outraged! Petrol is a finite resource and the sooner everyone realises that fact, the sooner people can stop acting as if they own the world’s oil supply.
This link might highlight my argument better. Enjoy.
1) I don’t think the price will be up that much. More expensive than the diesel surely. But the thing is chic and the hybrid BS sells (cool + trendy + green). I think it will be a success.
2) People buy big SUVs not because the fuel is cheap, but because they can afford to. If I had the means ($$$$ or BsF or euros) I’d buy a new Grand Cherokee too for example. But I can’t, so no SUV for me (I not a fan of them anyway). And fuel here is .02 cent/lt, lowest price in the world.
I don’t think fuel prices should be higher, however yes, the wasteful attitude toward oil must stop.
If you don’t want people buying big SUV, request your government to tax the hell out of them (like they aren’t already). Tariffs, ownership, emissions…
“Could Fiat better spend their research budget better by improving the fuel economy of their bigger cars?”
Um… “Check me if I’m wrong Sandy but if I kill all the golfers they’re going to lock me up and throw away the key”
Wasn’t that the argument GM made for investing in and then applying their 2-Mode Hybrid technology to the full size SUVs? Many argued that it wasn’t smart for GM to use that logic so maybe those same people think a Hybrid Fiat 500 with the associated price premium is the right approach.
Am I wrong? Is it different now in 2010 then it was in 2006 or earlier when they were product planning for the Hybrid Tahoe.
The 500 is one of the ‘it’ cars in Europe. It’s the perfect platform to demonstrate new technology and push it out from there, particularly if these examples are using smaller motors all around more suited to a small car.
+1
The 500 already sells *way* below the price of perceived competitors like the MINI, so there’s room for a little upward momentum there for a premium hybrid model. After all (as noted elsewhere on this site) hybrid buyers aren’t bargain-hunters.
“One could argue that they could spend the money to improve their reliability, but I couldn’t possibly comment…”
Really Cammy, most of the reviewers on here at least have the excuse that they last saw FIATs for sale in their native markets 30+ years ago but you really should know better.
Shall we look at some statistics instead of rehashing old cliches?
OK so FIAT aren’t top of the table for reliability but they’re out performing marques like BMW, Audi and Volvo, and you don’t see motoring journalists struggling to write those names without taking a pop at reliability.
Like I said “I couldn’t possibly comment…” ;O)
It was a cheap shot, but we’ve got a huge deficit. Cheap is all I can afford…
:D
I’ll let you off this once.
While we’re on the subject of the deficit, isn’t a 100+mpg car dangerous for the economy? How will our government have anything to spend on public services without all that petrol tax income?
…oh. wait. that’s right they’re Conservatives, forget I asked.
I had a chance to review the statistics you provided in the link. It shows that FIAT is in the middle of the pack as far as reliability goes. This particular survey appears to take repair cost and cost of parts as part of the overall reliability index. Because FIAT scores quite well in these areas, it skews the overall reliability index downward (lower the better). However, if you look at individual problem areas, such as the engine, FIAT is in the top five in UNRELIABLE engine components…meaning, nothing has changed with FIAT…Fix It Again Tony.
Based on these statistics, I’d rather have a Skoda!
I
@ Littlecarrot, while it is great fun to select data in order to confirm your existing viewpoint, it’s hardly accurate or objective.
Addressing the (highly selective and imbalanced) criteria you chose, FIAT’s engine component failure rate is 30th in a field of 36 and I agree, could stand improvement but it’s also 15.73% which is 5% over the average for that field. Hardly that different.
The fact stands that on a balanced reliability comparison with other manufacturers FIAT are in the middle ground, not the bottom.
7 of RI’s top 100 “most reliable cars” are FIATs (8 if you include the Ford Ka which is built for Ford by FIAT in a FIAT plant), meanwhile the list of the 10 least reliable models contains no FIATs, but three Mercedes two Audis and a BMW – which brings me back to my point: if reliability isn’t a reflex criticism of those marques in reviews (and it isn’t) why should it be for FIATs?
“Could Fiat better spend their research budget better by improving the fuel economy of their bigger cars? ”
WHAT bigger cars?? ;-)
I don’t doubt that a hybrid version would increase the price, though I really wouldn’t like to say whether or not that would push it into a different price bracket altogether. I can only say that I hope it wouldn’t.
But as others have said, those looking for hybrids probably won’t be looking for the lowest price tag possible. Providing Fiat doesn’t make all of its city cars into hybrids and push them into a completely different price bracket, I can’t see a problem. The hybrid would be bought by one target market, the other models by another target market.
That said, I’m no businesswoman, so feel free to shoot me down. :)