The Fiat 500e has had a rough start in the United States, with a significant drop in sales after initial excitement. Data show that the electric city car ranks as the second slowest-moving car at U.S. dealers, with a lead time of 459 days.
Fiat 500e: flopping sales in the US? New versions and uncertain future
At its unveiling the Fiat 500e in the United States was greeted with much enthusiasm by the local public, in fact the first batch of cars was sold out in just a few days. Nevertheless,now, after the initial momentum there seems to be a significant drop in interest, with a rather significant slowdown in sales. According to data that have been recorded by CarEdge.com, Fiat’s electric city car currently ranks as the second slowest-moving car at U.S. dealers, with a 459-day supply, which is equivalent to 1,031 units.
Data also extrapolated that in 45 days, U.S. dealers managed to sell only 101 units of the 500e. In addition, the car would also boast the lowest average transaction price among all the cars that were analyzed, with an average selling price of $34,683.
Another important report concerns the Maserati Levante SUV, which is also in this ranking of low-turnover cars, even placing fourth. The Levante has as its supply time 344 days and would be the second highest average transaction price, in fact it reaches the figure of $101,705. Of this car, 903 units have been supplied that are currently stopped in lots and 118 units sold in a time of 45 days, the same calculation made for the Fiat 500e.
Stellantis struggles in the United States: not just Fiat 500e
It would appear, however, that the difficulties that the Fiat brand is having in the United States are part of a context that would not only concern the Italian brand. In fact, there are several brands in the Stellantis group that are struggling mightily to try to meet the needs of American customers. These other brands that are struggling are currently Ram, Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge.
Even if currently a rather sensitive time is involved, the future of the Fiat 500e in the United States could still hold interesting news for the manufacturer. In fact, in 2025 the hybrid version is scheduled to be introduced to the market, which will always be produced at the Mirafiori plant. In addition, the Stellantis group has also announced a substantial investment of more than 100 million euros to work hard on the development of a new electric version of the 500, with the aim of making it more economical and also trying to expose to the public a greater autonomy thanks to an innovative battery. These innovations therefore, could certainly be the impetus needed to try to revive sales of the car globally, including the United States.
For sure, the 500e’s market performance has gotten off to a very slow start, but we know also about the great potential of the Stellantis automotive group, so we will just have to wait for the innovations that will be made to revive the car as it deserves.