François also explained that the future of the brand on U.S. shores is to serve as a learning opportunity for parent company Stellantis as it eyes a transition to electric vehicles. Experimentation with digital sales, monthly subscription services, limited-release specialty models, and even a car-sharing service are all possibilities for Fiat when the 500e goes on sale in 2024.
The brand sold a grand total of 605 cars in 2023. That’s 605 cars for the entire year. A couple of metrics make this number even sadder than it already is. That’s 605 cars sold from 357 dealers—51 of those 605 cars were models that aren’t even in production anymore:
- Fiat 500: 16
- Fiat 500L: 7
- Fiat 124 Spider: 28
I reached out to Fiat to see if this plan is still the case and will update when they get back to me. Whatever Stellantis has planned for Fiat going forward it needs to figure it out. One has to wonder just how long the company can justify the brand existing in the US when it’s selling less than ultra luxury automakers like Rolls-Royce and Ferrari.
As time went on plans for the brand changed. The 500 was discontinued for the 2019 model year, while the 500L and 124 Spider were axed the following year. A new 500 was introduced in 2020, but only for Europe and some wondered whether or not it was coming here. Nothing was announced until late 2022 when the brand said that the 500e would be returning to the US for the 2024 model year.
Meet The Fiat 500e Before Its Return To America
