Fiat will stop selling non-electric vehicles in the UK this year. Fiat has declared that all non-electric vehicles will be phased out of the UK market as of July 1, 2022, with the whole Fiat line now available in electrified variants, ranging from hybrids to fully electric. It implies that Fiat's whole lineup — the 500, 500X, Panda, and Tipo – will eventually be entirely made up of hybrid and fully electric vehicles. Indeed, Fiat's new 500 city car was the company's first totally electric vehicle, conceived and constructed from the ground up.
The fully-electric New 500 has become the best-selling electric city car in 11 countries and the second best-selling electric car in any sector in Europe, behind only Tesla. According to the manufacturer, it is the best-selling electric vehicle in Italy and France, and it ranks second in Germany, Europe's largest electric vehicle market.
"This stage in Fiat's history marks a key point in our commitment to offering affordable and sustainable mobility solutions for all of our customers," said Greg Taylor, Fiat and Abarth UK managing director. Our vehicles, which are designed for urban environments, are well suited to the move."
The 1.2-litre petrol engine in the 500 city car and the Panda supermini will be replaced by a new naturally aspirated 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine with a 12-volt belt-integrated starting generator and an 11Ah battery. A 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 48-volt mild hybrid assistance is used in the 500X and Tipo versions. In the guise of the 500 electric, the brand also boasts a fully electric product.
The move comes after a record year for electric car sales in the UK in 2021, with 12,899 EVs registered in April 2022, a 40.9 percent increase over April 2021. In comparison to 2020, sales of new electric automobiles increased by 586.8% last year. As a result, the government chose to reduce the Plug-in Car Grant to £1,500, making automobiles under £35,000 the only vehicles eligible for the reduction. The news comes as Fiat concentrates on its goal of being a fully electric car manufacturer by 2030.
