We know Stellantis isn’t doing so hot but the automaker’s Fiat brand is doing worse. The brand sells only two vehicles: the 500X crossover — which is on its way out — and the recently reintroduced 500e EV. It turns out that new EV isn’t selling so well. Sales are so poor that Stellantis has an extended production pause the vehicle, and it’s caught the attention of the Italian government.
Reuters reports that Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares will address the Italian parliament on October 11 over the 500e’s production stoppage and the overall state of the automakers production in Italy, the automaker confirmed in a statement:
Tavares will be able “to provide the most exhaustive picture of the group’s automotive production in Italy,” the statement said. “The complex international and European situation of the automotive sector requires rapid responses,” it added.
The automaker said in July that there were over 14,000 European registrations of the small EV, though that doesn’t seem as if it’s enough.
Things are worse here in the U.S. with just 235 500es sold in Q3, bringing the total to just 439 sold for the year so far. It’s not that the 500e is a bad car, it just doesn’t seem like it’s a great EV. With a starting price of just over $32,000, the 500e is directly competing with bigger vehicles with better range on both the new and used market. At 162 miles of range, the 500e is relegate to city car status, a segment that both Toyota and Mercedes — with the Scion iQ and the entire Smart brand — have shown just won’t ever catch on in the U.S.
Despite the struggles of the 500e, Reuters says Stellantis is still committing over $110 million to development of a higher performance battery for the 500e. The automaker also has plans to introduce a 500 hybrid in 2026, though it remains to be seen if we’ll see that model here in the U.S.
