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Fiat is bringing the all-electric 500e back to the United States in 2024. Which is fantastic. But for those who are interested in hotter hatches, we want to know if we’re going to get the 500e Abarth that’s going to debut on November 22nd.
In a recent roundtable discussion with Olivier Francois, Brand Chief Executive Officer, Fiat, we asked that very question.
The answer? A firm maybe.
As we’ve reported, Fiat is using the North American market as a place to test new ideas. Bringing the 500e to the U.S. is already a bit expensive, since the car will need to be federalized, and any production capacity devoted to our incredibly small market takes away from inventory that can be sold in more popular locales.
“It depends on how our tests go and if they are a success,” he tells us.
What does that success look like?
When was the last time you stuck to your seat?
P.S. Pay attention to the volume! #AbarthNew500 pic.twitter.com/VrmzxKjrhE— Abarth (@TeamAbarth) November 8, 2022
“I want to break even at the very least, and hopefully make back several times the initial expense.”
The company is going to experiment with different ways of selling the 500e in the U.S. Customers might be able to order online and the dealership just handles the delivery process. There might be special editions that drop like sneaker drops to build up urgency. There could be only own or two variants of the car and not something for everyone.
“We don’t need to sell cars here,” he says. “That frees up what we can do.”
We hope that the Fiat fans who have been demanding the 500 in the U.S. put their money where their mouths are, because we would love to see the Abarth here in the future. It’s just too bad we won’t get it right away.
