If you thought that Dodge and, to a extra critical extent, Chrysler had been probably the most unhappy wanting manufacturers in Stellantis’ arsenal, you haven’t been taking note of Fiat. And why would you? The model sells so few vehicles within the U.S. it makes you surprise if it’s even value it for Stellantis to proceed to hassle with it.
The model bought a grand complete of 605 vehicles in 2023. That’s 605 vehicles for your entire yr. A few metrics make this quantity even sadder than it already is. That’s 605 vehicles bought from 357 sellers—51 of these 605 vehicles had been fashions that aren’t even in manufacturing anymore:
- Fiat 500: 16
- Fiat 500L: 7
- Fiat 124 Spider: 28
To twist the knife of low gross sales even additional, these 605 gross sales symbolize a hunch of 34 p.c from 2022 when 915 Fiats had been bought. So what’s happening with the model? Fiat introduced the model again to the US in 2011 with the five hundred; in 2013 the 500e EV was launched in 2013 however solely in California. Fiat appeared to take a web page out of the Mini playbook by providing variants of the identical automotive beginning in 2013 with the stretched 500L and the 500X crossover in 2015. The Miata in an Italian go well with 124 Spider made its return in 2016 (the unique mannequin was bought within the US from 1968 by way of the early Nineteen Eighties.)
As time went on plans for the model modified. The 500 was discontinued for the 2019 mannequin yr, whereas the 500L and 124 Spider had been axed the next yr. A brand new 500 was launched in 2020, however just for Europe and a few puzzled whether or not or not it was coming right here. Nothing was introduced till late 2022 when the model mentioned that the 500e could be returning to the US for the 2024 mannequin yr.
Only then did Fiat CEO Olivier François make the model’s plans extra clear. His plan is to axe the 500X after its present run and have the 500e be the only providing within the US.
“Fiat is the 500, no other car. I have a very clear plan to not do anything else than the 500,” François instructed Car And Driver. Offering a single mannequin within the US looks as if gross sales suicide, he additionally appeared to attempt to justify the manufacturers existence by saying Fiat would do extra than simply deal with promoting the 500e within the US.
François additionally defined that the way forward for the model on U.S. shores is to function a studying alternative for mother or father firm Stellantis because it eyes a transition to electrical automobiles. Experimentation with digital gross sales, month-to-month subscription companies, limited-release specialty fashions, and even a car-sharing service are all potentialities for Fiat when the 500e goes on sale in 2024.
I reached out to Fiat to see if this plan remains to be the case and can replace after they get again to me. Whatever Stellantis has deliberate for Fiat going ahead it must determine it out. One has to surprise simply how lengthy the corporate can justify the model current within the US when it’s promoting lower than extremely luxurious automakers like Rolls-Royce and Ferrari.
Source: jalopnik.com