Fiat 500 News

Another carmaker has stepped back to pause and consider what its future in Australia looks like.Fiat has announced it has stopped importing passenger vehicles into Australia, as it assess what its future line-up may look like.It wasn’t an extensive model range, with the Italian marque only selling the electric Fiat 500e and its sporty twin, the Abarth 500e.The company will continue to import and sell its range of commercial vehicles.It is understood this isn't the end for Fiat cars in Australia, but a break to work out the models in its line-up that would best suit.“As part of Stellantis Australia's ongoing portfolio and product planning process, the availability of specific models can vary over time as we assess market demand and future product opportunities. We remain focused on ensuring the vehicles we bring to Australia meet customers’ expectations,” said a company spokesperson. “Following Stellantis' recent confirmation of Fiat as one of its core global brands, we are excited by the opportunities the brand presents for the future. “Fiat 500e and Abarth 500e stock in Australia has now largely been sold through and, at this stage, we are not planning additional orders while we evaluate future product opportunities for the local market. “We continue to support our Fiat and Abarth customers and dealer network and look forward to sharing more information about Fiat's and Abarth’s future plans in Australia at the appropriate time.”Fiat has only sold 144 vehicles through the first six months of this year in Australia, which is down 30 per cent compared to the same period last year.Its range of commercial vehicles is faring better, and sold 139 in June alone.Fiat has an expanding range of SUVs overseas, including the Grande Panda and Grizzly. These models are both electrified and better suited to Australian tastes.Peugeot, which is also owned by Stellantis, also closed up shop in Australia earlier this month.The French brand’s local distributor, Inchcape, handed back the keys to its selling rights and there is no immediate taker to pick up where they left off.The writing was on the wall for Peugeot after a string of tough years that culminated in 373 sales through the first five months of this year, which was down 35 per cent compared to the same period last year.This follows a circa-29 per cent drop in 2025, and losing a quarter of sales in 2024.

Australia might be a big country, but we do like our small cars.These little vehicles are generally affordable and typically energy efficient — both the petrol and electric ones. They also fit into tight car spaces and zip through narrow city streets. These pint-sized machines can be fun and easy to drive, which makes them great first cars or even last cars for those who don’t need something giant.So, we have compiled a list of the five smallest cars in Australia.Dimensions: 3860mm long, 1735mm wide, 1520mm tallWho doesn’t like a Suzuki Swift? This Aussie favourite has just scraped into our top five at just under 3.9m long. The Swift is loved for its practicality, with four doors and five seats, and it’s fun-to-drive nature - especially the Sport version. There’s a choice of hybrid and pure petrol powertrains, but no fully electric Swift unfortunately. The Swift scored three stars out of five in its ANCAP safety test in 2024.  Prices start at $24,990 drive-away. Dimensions: 3858mm, 1967 wide, 1460mm tallWhoever said Minis were now so big they’re no longer mini was wrong - also, that was me who said it. The Mini Cooper three-door is the miniest Mini, and the electric version is a tad shorter than the petrol variant. And while it is shortest in height here and only just 3.8m long it’s actually the widest in our top five. The Mini Cooper has four seats, a 210-litre boot and scored the maximum five-star ANCAP rating.Prices start at $53,990 for the electric variant and $41,990 for the petrol version.Dimensions: 3825mm long, 1610 wide, 1575mm tallThe Hyundai Inster is a fully electric little SUV with four doors, four seats and a 351-litre boot.A range of up to 360km makes it very usable for city dwellers, or those who don’t do many miles each week.The Inster has rugged but cute looks, and a starting price of $39,000 makes the Inster a very affordable EV.The Inster scored four out of five stars in ANCAP tests. Dimensions: 3631mm, 1900mm wide, 1529mm tall The Fiat 500e has two doors, five seats and a 185-litre boot. Yep, it’s probably the least practical tiny car on our list but it's also one of the most fun to drive with its electric powertrain.It's a small car with a big price. The 500e starts at $58,900. Yes, that's outrageous, and we wouldn't be surprised if at some point the 500e is withdrawn from Australia due to the low sales. Still that might be a good way to bargain your way into one.It also scored four stars in safety tests.Dimensions: 3595mm long, 1595mm wide, 1485mm tallThe Kia Picanto is our top five tiny cars winner at less than 3.6m long. It’s also the most popular micro car in Australia and it's easy to see why. Its starting price is $19,190, the value and standard features are outstanding and it’s good looking. Four doors, five seats and 255 litres of boot space. It’s smaller than it sounds, seriously. There’s no EV version of the Picanto, and the one sold in Australia has a four cylinder petrol engine. The four-star ANCAP rating from 2017 is now out of date.

It’s a brand new year and brand new car buying thoughts turn to vehicle build plates. Dealers are keen to shift their existing stock before prior year manufacturing dates become a millstone around their automotive necks.But what if the model in question has been publicly put to the sword and it’s not just a matter of a ‘2025 Plate Clearance Sale’?Some of these cars may have been around for quite a while. In rare instances, slow sellers celebrating a birthday (or two?) in retail captivity, waiting hopefully for a new owner to take them to their forever home.These are affectionately referred to as zombie cars. Still offered for sale but the production tap may be about to be turned off, or it’s even been twisted to the right some time ago.If you’re looking for a cut-price new car and you don’t mind if it’s been sitting on the shelf for a period of time, here’s a rundown of some four-wheeled zombies to give you a little extra leverage when twisting a salesperson’s arm.BMW Z4 - This sleek two-seat roadster was developed in a joint-venture with Toyota that also spawned the (similarly discontinued) fifth-generation Supra.Production is scheduled to end this March with a ‘Frozen Matt Black’ Final Edition model     including four- and six-cylinder variants, the order window for the car opening and closing this month.But don’t get too excited. Sadly, the Final Edition won’t be available in Australia. However, there are still Z4’s on showroom floors here and there around the country. After all, three found homes in December last year. Get in quick!Fiat 500 - The internal combustion version of this diminutive Italian (in Fiat and Abarth form) ceased production in June 2024 thanks largely to EU safety regulations sending it out of bounds.A 500 Ibrida Hybrid is due to begin production imminently, but it’s quite a different car designed to supplement 500e production (global demand for which has been underwhelming) and riding on the same platform.The ICE car is still offered up on the Fiat Australia website, in 1.2L four-cylinder Dolcevita form at around $30,775, drive-away.Hyundai i20 N - Hyundai has made no bones about the fact its i20N hot hatch is kaput, with production scheduled to finish this March.But Hyundai Australia has reached into the cash drawer and ordered up enough cars to satisfy predicted local demand through 2026.So, this brilliant little performance car will be a zombie in name only. But we wouldn’t leave it too late to get your hands on one. With 150kW/275Nm in a brilliantly responsive compact package it’s not to be missed.Jaguar E-Pace / F-Type - There isn’t a car company on the planet that’s been more transparent about ending production of a current model. In fact, (almost) every one of its models!Jaguar suspended manufacturing of its then existing internal combustion cars in mid-2024  in preparation for a brave new all-electric, ultra-premium future… except for the F-Pace SUV, soldiering on at JLR’s Solihull plant.Amazingly, local sales of the E-Pace SUV grew four per cent year-on-year in 2025 despite the manufacturing halt. And examples of the stunning F-Pace sports car continue to trickle out into the world.Jeep Grand Cherokee - The Aussie axe fell on Jeep’s Grand Cherokee early last year, the once hugely popular model discontinued locally in response to a less than stellar sales performance after launching here in 2023.Part of the problem was a solid price hike for the fifth-gen version and having ripped off the Band-Aid by announcing its local departure, parent company Stellantis promptly dropped the price of the Limited variant to $60,000, drive-away (previously $72,950, before on-road costs).Lo and behold, year-on-year Grand Cherokee sales ticked up 4.3 per cent for 2025, but registration numbers are dwindling now. It’s still up on the website, so it might be the perfect time to move in for a super-sharp deal.Suzuki Ignis / S-Cross - The pocket-sized Ignis SUV was confirmed for departure from the Australian market in early 2025 in response to new Australian Design Rule (ADR) requirements mandating more advanced AEB performance.Examples of the 1.2-litre four-seat city SUV were still rolling out Suzuki showroom doors in December last year so there are cars floating around the brand’s retail network.Same story for the compact S-Cross crossover, which struggled with that ADR compliance and reached the end of the road production-wise around the same time. Again, a number are still finding homes close to 12 months after its death notice was issued.Toyota Fortuner - A clear oversupply of large three-row SUVs was tidied up by Toyota Australia with an announcement to confirm the axing of its Fortuner model in November last year. Which still leaves the Kluger, LandCruiser Prado and LandCruiser 300 as available seven-seat Toyota options.Sharing the same body-on-frame platform as the HiLux ute, the off-road capable Fortuner will finish production around the middle of this year.  The Fortuner battled for clear air in the mix with its in-house competition, attracting just 3407 customers in 2025, while the Ford Ranger-based Everest sold 26,161 units. 

Fiat is bringing back petrol power to its iconic 500 hatchback after committing to going electric only.The bambino was a petrol-only model from when it was reborn in 2007 until parent company Stellantis launched the second-gen version of the modern era as an electric vehicle, the 500e.Fiat will use the 500e as the basis for a new mild hybrid petrol version that will begin production at Fiat’s spiritual home in Turin, Italy in November this year.Official images reveal that the new 500 will look much the same as the 500e, although the petrol car gets a tweaked grille to aid air flow.The move to retrofit the 500e as an internal combustion engine variant comes after sales of the 500e and the related Abarth 500e hot hatch have slowed, leading to multiple production pauses at the Mirafiori plant.The 2007 petrol 500 went out of production a few years ago after no longer meeting Europe’s emissions standards.Fiat’s new 500 will be offered in hatchback and cabriolet body styles, and in good news for motoring enthusiasts, it will also be offered with a six-speed manual gearbox.It is powered by a 1.0-litre three-cylinder ‘Firefly’ mild hybrid petrol engine, likely the same unit found in the new Panda. The mild hybrid setup is a 12-volt system that Fiat says helps improve fuel efficiency, however official fuel figures are yet to be confirmed.Inside the 500 comes with Fiat’s Uconnect 5 multimedia system linked to a customisable 10.25-inch touchscreen, as well as a 7.0-inch digital driver’s display and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.A spokesperson for Stellantis Australia told CarsGuide the mild hybrid 500 is not under consideration for Australia, for now.If it gets the green light for Australia it will compete against other micro and light combustion-powered hatchbacks including the MG3, Suzuki Swift and Kia Picanto.Fiat CEO and Global CMO of Stellantis Olivier François described the return of the petrol 500 to the Turin plant as a win.“Bringing the 500 Hybrid back to Mirafiori is a promise kept - a win driven by a committed team that chose to bet on the customer and the future,” he said.“This factory is more than just a production site; it’s Fiat’s home, the beating heart of a story that began in 1957 with Dante Giacosa and today stands as a hub of Stellantis innovation in Europe. Our industrial plan for Italy puts Mirafiori and the 500 at the center of our revival. In November, we’ll celebrate this milestone with the special edition ‘500 Torino’—a tribute to the city, its workers, and our roots. Turin means Fiat, and Fiat means Turin. That’s why the official launch will take place here, in our city.”

The first symptoms of serious market change are afoot. Not only did 2024 mark the end of a host of individual nameplates, it also saw the demand of one the oldest brands in Australia after decades of flagging sales. 

Stellantis has announced that production of the Fiat 500e will be paused for four weeks due to low consumer demand.

Fiat has confirmed a hybrid version of the 500e electric car will be released in 2026 following slower than expected sales of the EV at home and abroad.The new hybrid city car, to be known as the 500e Ibrida, will be produced at Turin’s Mirafiori plant alongside the existing electric car.Unsurprisingly, there are political reasons surrounding the decision with a need to keep Fiat's Mirafiori plant flowing with production for the local market. Last year, only 64,244 500es found homes in Europe compared to 108,943 combustion models (which are built in Poland).To satiate some of this demand, the 500e Ibrida will use a 1.0-litre mild-hybrid three-cylinder ‘FireFly’ petrol engine as found in the Fiat Panda that develops 51kW and 92Nm.The new car will use the same platform as the 500e which is not the bespoke STLA small platform but an electric capable version of the Alfa MiTo’s SCCS architecture.The 500e hybrid will be highly Italian with its engine produced in Termoli, the exhaust in Napoli and gearbox at its home Mirafiori plant.“Italy serves as our foundation, our driving force and our future”, says CEO Olivier Francois.“And Mirafiori is one of our engines which represents Italy, its people, its values, its pride and the 500.“But today, 90 per cent of Mirafiori production goes abroad. To increase the number of 500s on the road in Italy and to answer the Italian customers, we have decided to produce the new 500 Ibrida”, he added.Naturally, the hybrid 500e will cost less than its electric counterpart which is dear in Australia at $52,500 for the La Prima. No Australian plans have been announced for the 500e Ibrida but it would be a unique option alongside the Kia Picanto, Suzuki Swift and MG3.The previous-gen combustion Fiat 500 is currently built at Stellantis’ Tychy plant in Poland to satisfy the more affordable end of the European and overseas markets. It is understood this plant is where Leapmotor affordable electric cars will be built in the future.The Fiat 500 – that launched in 2008 on the Fiat Mini platform – won’t end its life just yet, though, with production expected to move to Algeria.

Won't somebody think of all the tall people in the world? Well that's exactly what we've done with resident tall journalist Richard Berry picking his top 5 best small cars for tall people.

Stellantis Australia, parent company of Fiat Abarth, has revealed pricing for a lightly updated version of the Abarth 695 hot hatch, featuring minute design tweaks.

The cheaper end of the Australian new-car market is shrinking at a rapid rate, and now it’s even smaller.