FIAT Makes It Official, The 500e Will Return In 2024 To North America!

Brings The Original Three One-Offs To The LA Auto Show...

Robert S. Miller November 17, 2022

After waiting for two and half years, FIAT CEO & Stellantis CMO, Olivier Francois officially announced plans to plans to bring the all-electric third-generation Fiat 500e to North America. The move spearheads the Italian brand’s electrification strategy as the new 500e is scheduled to start arriving in the U.S. market in Q1 2024.

What we found surprising, was that the press conference was non-considered an unveiling from FIAT. Instead, it was simply an announcement. FIAT plans to unveil and show off the North American-spec version of the 500e a year from today, again at the LA Auto Show.

FIAT CEO & Stellantis CMO, Olivier Francois with the B.500e “MAI TROPPO” at the LA Auto Show. (Stellantis).

“Since 1899, FIAT has played a role in developing mobility, not only delivering vehicles to the masses but also pursuing a social mission and riding the wave of ‘what’s next’,” said Francois. “Today, more than ever, we are facing a global revolution, which means that customers are looking for more than just a car and we intend to embrace their changing needs.”

FIAT did bring the original three one-off 500e concepts from the original European launch in 2000, during the pandemic. The three vehicles designed by Armani, Kartell, and Bvlgari, reflect Italian craftsmanship, creativity, and sophistication. A symbol of “Made-In-Italy” around the world, the three unique concepts embody the three souls of the 500e: sustainable design, sustainable fashion, and sustainable luxury, in line with FIAT’s vision of sustainability.

“The 500e is more than a car, it is a social project to feed America’s appetite for change toward sustainable mobility,” Francois stated. “We want to introduce America to EVs with our icon, the 500e because this is the right thing to do. On a corporate side, we need to trailblaze new pathways and it will be a privilege for our new 500 to help lead change. On the human level: it is a commitment to taking customers into the future of mobility … again.”

500e Giorgio Armani Edition:

Only Giorgio Armani, the undisputed king of the world of Italian elegance, could be the one to interpret the style. His haute couture house interpreted their version of the electric 500e, the 500e Armani, in the name of timeless tailoring and sustainability. Using laser technology, Armani wished to shape the metal covering of the car’s bodywork (and eventually etching it) with exclusive micro-chevron engraving, bringing it as close as possible to the three dimensions of fabric. The result is further enhanced by an Armani gray-green “silk effect” color. What’s more, the opaque paint used for the exterior is an innovative product.

Fiat 500e Giorgio Armani Special Edition. (FIAT).

While the “GA” logo is a strong feature of the wheel design and customizes the fabric of the soft top, the amber-colored windows raise the car’s level of harmony and sophistication.

The neutral and elegant nuances continue in the interior: the seats are upholstered in certified full-grain natural leather, sourced from Poltrona Frau, in a “grey” color with micro-chevron wool bands, embellished with details taken from the craftsmanship of the best leather goods.

The naturalness and authenticity of the materials are also emphasized by the sinuous and sculptural dashboard insert, covered with reconstituted open-pore wood embellished with thin layers of aluminum inlay, inspired by the elegance and contemporaneity of the Armani/Casa line.

500e Giorgio Armani Edition Image Gallery:

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B.500e “MAI TROPPO”:

Bvlgari’s One-off B.500e “MAI TROPPO” is a homage to craftsmanship and beauty. 500 has always played a role in La Dolce Vita, an Italian icon born of the love for beauty and art. The new interpreter of these values is Bvlgari, an emblem of Italian excellence, a brand that has innovated over the years by rewriting the rules of world jewelry and launching new trends that have become icons of contemporary design. The 500e is a true gem in its own right, with its interiors in the finest materials, embellished by the greatest attention to the details and unique finishes that recall the vivid, unmistakable combinations of colors and motifs and exalt Bulgari’s Roman origins.
It could, therefore, take no other name than “MAI TROPPO” [never too much].

The one-off features a saffron-colored pearlescent paint, an iconic shade at Bvlgari inspired by the chromatic variegation of Roman sunsets. This effect is enhanced by nuance in the paint produced by expert manual technique. The “saffron” paint emphasizes the character of the car as a “jewel”, based on the inclusion of gold powder, recovered from the scraps of jewelry production. The end result: an environmentally friendly car, resplendent in its own light. In addition to the gold paint, the B.500e has side sills and front moldings processed using the glazing technique; specifically designed wheels in the form of a star, the historical symbol of Bvlgari, along with black lacquer with gold trim and a side “jewel” badge in polished gold, with a diamond-paved B.500e logo.

The philosophy of re-use continues in the interiors, with a dashboard fascia made even more elegant by its upholstery with heritage Bvlgari silk scarves from the collections of the past. The seats are in teal leather with “Diva” pattern embroidery, gold details, and scarf inserts. The true jewel of the interiors is three semi-precious stones, amethyst, topaz, and citrine, set in a removable brooch, made by the master goldsmiths at Bvlgari and placed in the center of the steering wheel.

B.500e “MAI TROPPO” Image Gallery:

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500e Kartell:

The last special edition 500e is by Kartell. Creativity and innovation are the elements of inspiration for the 500e Kartell special edition, from the iconic brand of Italian industrial design, which constantly experiments with and researches new aesthetics and functions vernaculars for plastics. In recent years, Kartell has also been involved in developing increasingly sustainable plastics.

The 500e Kartell is an ideal mixture of materials that come together to breathe life into a true object of contemporary design.

Fiat 500e Kartell Special Edition. (FIAT).

The exterior features a “monoblock color” concept where the different types of materials – metal, glass, rubber, plastic, and fabric – are interpreted in the same color, Kartell blue, derived from Yves Klein blue, a universally recognized color iconic of the brand. The surfaces of the bodywork are mirror-effect Kartell blue, obtained using a blue Kartell mirror effect obtained with environmentally friendly chrome paint. The two brands’ logos stand out from the bodywork thanks to treatment with a sandblasted polycarbonate, to convey a sense of material and depth.

The most symbolic elements of the exterior, in addition to the color effect, are the components made of polycarbonate recycled from end-of-life parabolic projectors, used in the front grille, wheels, and mirror caps. These objects feature a unique design inspired by the pattern of Kartell’s Kabuki lamp, created and developed by the designer Ferruccio Laviani as a motif to lead the new car’s identity, with unique details that recall the texture of the lamp and become special elements of the car. The Kabuki pattern remains the protagonist in the interiors, with a polycarbonate cover on the dashboard insert and transparently applied to the seats.

The contrast between the Kartell blue of the exterior and the brightness of the interior is striking, providing a clear and light environment, combining warm and cool hues. The tactile textile plastics used in the interior are 100% recycled polypropylene, just like the chairs from the latest Kartell collection. The fabrics take on a natural, cozy look, in fully recycled polyester.

500e Kartell Image Gallery:

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bill burke Nov 15, 2022 #1

The Fiat brand is a successful brand in many parts of the world, dominant in some. There are few reasons why Fiat can not or should not be successful in the North American market. To accomplish that there is no better product and no better time to relaunch the brand here than this new 500 right now. Let’s be honest, they need to begin somewhere obviously.
The last Fiat launch, in spite of the incredibly amusing and witty commercials, was poorly planned and poorly executed. The original 500, was not only the wrong vehicle for the NA market at that time, but being launched with no supporting characters in a broader brand portfolio was just a major mistake. Fiat globally has so many excellent offerings, that together, could be the small,affordable, reliable brand that people here want. In spite of the close resemblance, this new 500 is completely redefined, more appealing and being all electric, spot on for today’s North American urban population. It needs company, it needs a clear, well defined segment and clear mission statement for consumers. However, most important, Fiat needs dealerships committed to implementing the plan and the Italian workers to deliver a reliable compact product line that underpins that plan and that puts that “Fix It Again Tony” legacy to rest once and for all. This new 500 must and can start that revival with clear focus and some company in showrooms. This 500 can be the urban electric like nothing else on the market, really. Move over Toyota, the Italians are returning in force. Good decision Fiat.

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Deckard Cain Nov 15, 2022 #2

Wow, awesome decision! I hope this is the start of bringing electrified Fiats to the US. Hope the Abarth version also goes to the US. :)
I think this model will be perfect for CARB markets.

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patfromigh Nov 15, 2022 #3

OK, I admit I'm biased. I believe that the original California compliance Fiat 500e was the best of all the compliances offered last decade. Many will argue that the Tesla powered Toyota RAV4, the Chevy Spark with its Volt technology in the mix, or the VW E-Golf was better. Out of all of the compliance cars only FCA seems to have used the opportunity to use it as a research and development program. The new Fiat 500e is better in many ways while staying true to the original formula. Fiat addressed the weaknesses and built upon the strengths. The competitors have all introduced battery EVs which don't use the powertrain technology of the originals. Toyota's program has fluctuated since they fell out with Tesla. They haven't outsourced the engineering unlike some of the others.

RostHaus Nov 15, 2022 #4

Agree. The original 500e was my first EV, because they were insanely cheap coming off lease. It's lead to 2 more EVs being added. i3 and ipace. It's only 2 major faults in a modern EV market is it's range and lack of rapid charging. Other than that, it's a blast of a city car. I've told myself I'm keeping it until the abarth electric makes it to the states.

I think Fiat missed an opportunity to improve the original 500e over it's life cycle. They could have improved it like BMW did with the i3 or Nissan with the leaf. Which would have been easily done by Fiat because the same Samsung prismatic line of cells in the Fiat were also in the i3. Had the last couple of years 500e had say 150+mile range and a rapid charging, it would have been a great seller in the metro US.