- Fiat has launched two new trims for the 2024 500e, each with a theme: Music and Beauty.
- The Inspired by Music trim features Tuxedo Black exterior paint, a chrome strip along the door, cream-colored interior upholstery, and a stereo by JBL; the 500e Inspired by Beauty is painted in rose gold, and both are loaded with extras not offered on the Inspi(RED) model that dropped first.
- Future collaborations with fashion houses or destination-based themes are in the pipeline, and the company's North American chief says other Fiat models are being considered for the U.S.
UPDATE 3/12/2024: Fiat has corrected pricing it originally provided for the Inspired By models of the 500e. The correct price is $37,595, including destination, for both models, and we have changed the pricing in the story below to reflect this.
Fiat's unique marketing scheme for its revived 500e electric hatchback in North America continues with two new product "drops" now available for buyers to order. The duo are themed—Music and Beauty—and also loaded with goodies.
The Inspired by Music trim plays on the black and white of sheet music and musical notation with its glossy Tuxedo Black exterior paint and cream white interior upholstery. The chrome strip along the side of the car and the intricately designed wheels make it look like it's dressed up for a night on the town. The seven-speaker sound system has been designed by JBL and tuned by legendary Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. Four distinct venues have been programmed into the stereo system and can make the 500e's cabin sound like a recording studio, a living room, an open-air arena, or the Giuseppe Verdi Opera House in Pisa, Italy.
Inspired by Beauty is painted in a Rose Gold color that errs on the side of pink and features a similar cream-colored interior. Eagle-eyed Fiat fans may recognize the Beauty model from a recent commercial starring Jennifer Lopez. The actual vehicle used in the ad was a European-spec car, but little was changed in its translation.
Both of the new models come loaded with luxuries not offered on the first 500e drop—the Inspi(RED) edition—including a vinyl-wrapped dashboard, doorsill protection plates, heated exterior mirrors, chrome accents, and heated front seats. Fiat has also equipped both with more driver-assistance tech, including a lane-keeping assist feature, 360-degree exterior parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring, automatic high-beam headlamps, and adaptive cruise control with lane centering.
In an interview with Car and Driver, Aamir Ahmed, Fiat's head of North American operations, told us more about the brand's direction and what buyers can expect to see next.
"Fiat's a very unique brand," Ahmed said. "I don't think we need to be a mass-market kind of brand that gets stuck in what is the generational way to introduce a vehicle. So we're going to have a lot of fun with how we introduce vehicles, and we're going to time these drops on and off throughout the year."
The idea is to create individual, themed editions of the 500e that come one way, and one way only. This simplifies the dealer ordering process, streamlines things for the buyer, and lets Fiat's designers create cars with distinct attitudes. Currently, the only two choices a buyer has is whether or not they want all-season or summer tires and whether or not they want a Level 2 home charger or credits toward public charging. Otherwise, the cars are built to the specifications dictated by the theme.
"A lot of these cars are really extensions of our personalities, and they absolutely get personified," he said. "And it's those traits that kind of make it feel like a friend of ours, right? Not in a cheesy way, but in a real way. And at the same time, we know all of the people that typically buy these cars, they're not vanilla buyers either. You have your passions and enthusiasms in life, and we want to go down that path with you."
Future product releases could draw inspiration from a variety of places. Fashion collaborations are also likely, and looking back through Fiat's history there's success to be had with that concept. The previous-generation car was offered with a high-end Gucci trim level in North America, and in Europe, a nautical-themed 500 was produced in collaboration with luxury yacht maker Riva.
"There are a variety of different genres that we're looking at, like sports, travel, for instance," he said. "There are a lot of cities that we get inspired by. So we're going to find ways to continue to show these inspirations moving forward and build these kinds of one-off vehicles. And then on top of that later in the year, we'll have a mic drop moment and we'll have another drop that's akin to what we did with Gucci in the past where we look at who is a legendary Italian design house and forge a relationship with that partner."
Electrification "At the Center of Everything We Do"
The recent EV sales slump may require changes to strategy, but Ahmed remains steadfast that Fiat's image in the U.S. will be one of environmental friendliness. The previous-generation 500 is still being sold in other parts of the world with a hybrid powertrain and U.S. consumers have shown a growing appetite for hybrids and plug-in hybrids over the past year.
"Electrification, at its core, will be at the center of everything we do," he said. "If it's 100 percent EV or if it's [hybrids], we're still studying. But for now, it is going to be an electric brand. We need to be customer-centric, but we also need to be environmentally conscious too. So if we were to go down that path, it would still be environmentally conscious, but we'll study what that is, and if customers are begging us to do something, then we'll certainly listen."
A Growing U.S. Lineup for the U.S.
Most interestingly, Ahmed expects the Fiat lineup to grow in the U.S., a strategy that we thought had previously been ruled out. An Abarth performance variant would tickle our fancy, but a more shrewd move would be to introduce a small crossover to replace the 500X. The brand launched an SUV-like 600 model in Europe last year—with both hybrid and full-electric powertrains—and more recently showed a series of Panda concepts that are said to be a preview of future production vehicles.
"Stay tuned, because we don't anticipate this brand being a one-vehicle brand forever," he said. "We're going to continue to explore what the best options are for the U.S. market and how they complement the 500. Because Fiat is 500 and 500 is Fiat, and I'll never do anything to jeopardize the 500."
The 500e itself, though, is only at the start of its journey in the U.S. and Ahmed says this unique marketing strategy will help to keep the car looking and feeling fresh without the need for expensive mid-generation styling refreshes.
"With how we plan to go to market with the drops, we're going to continue to animate the life cycle of this car," he said. "We don't need to follow that traditional cadence. We're gonna try a lot of innovative things for our company in the U.S., and it's gonna help us grow the brand further."
In the meantime, the two new Inspired By models are available to order, each with a price of $37,595 including destination. The first drop—an all-red model called Inspi(RED) designed for the global AIDS charity (RED)—is also available and retails for a lower price of $34,095.
Drew Dorian is a lifelong car enthusiast who has also held a wide variety of consumer-focused positions throughout his career, ranging from financial counselor to auto salesperson. He has dreamed of becoming a Car and Driver editor since he was 11 years old—a dream that was realized when he joined the staff in April 2016. He’s a born-and-raised Michigander and learned to drive on a 1988 Pontiac Grand Am. His automotive interests run the gamut from convertibles and camper vans to sports cars and luxury SUVs.
