Small cars get the best gas mileage. So do hybrids. So wouldn’t a small hybrid get really good gas mileage? Something like, say, a Fiat 500 hybrid? Fiat certainly thinks it’s a good idea.

Up until now price has been the major opposition to small hybrids. Small car buyers tend to be cheap car buyers, so it has always been assumed that the “hybrid tax” would be too much for many people to buy a small hybrid car.

However, recent years have seen a resurgence of small cars with all kinds of buyers. Small cars are now a way to reduce environmental impact and not just wallet impact. This, coupled with decreasing hybrid system and battery prices, has made the small car hybrid economically viable.

When Fiat is done with their design, it will likely be coupled to their new 900cc turbocharged engine. This combination would have good torque and plenty of horsepower while delivering stellar mileage in the city.

And here’s the kicker: they plan to share the technology with Chrysler. So, even though we won’t be getting a Fiat 500 anytime soon, I’m certainly looking forward to seeing something using this technology on Chrysler’s showroom floor.

Source: Treehugger

This morning at the New York International Auto show, the Fiat 500 was awarded the prestigious World Car Design of the Year Award. The award was decided by a panel of jurors from around the world, who picked the Fiat 500 from a group of three finalists.

The Fiat 500 took top honors for this award because of it’s smooth Italian styling, as well as innovative design that is perfect for not only the Italian market, but that has captured audiences around the world.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVKYhoWAC_w

Like many other automakers, Chrysler began the day with an empty stage. As their event started, everyone knew they would be bringing something up there to show us. But no one expected that Chrysler would roll out of a back door in Fiat’s iconic 500 micro-compact.

The little blue car, which you can see in the video, rolled calmly to the side of the stage, where it was parked for the discussion you can watch in the video. Because Chrysler’s partnership with Fiat is still fresh, this car hasn’t been put through the paces to make it to the US market, but today’s display showed the company’s confidence that they will soon be selling the car in North America.

After the shock wore off and the brief discussion of the 500 ended, Chrysler moved on to an unveiling of their new Jeep Grand Cherokee. Unlike the 500, this luxury SUV occupied most of the presentation, with few green features to be mentioned besides an 11% increase in fuel economy and an 8% decrease in aerodynamic drag.

No one knows when the 500 will make it to the US, but now we’re at least a little more sure that it will.