Fiat is struggling in the United States, having moved just 815 units among all its models in the first quarter of 2021. Of course, it doesn’t help that the brand’s 2021 model line is limited to just one vehicle: the 500X crossover. In Europe, however, the brand is stronger, with a much larger lineup and some fresh new products—including the Nuova 500, in convertible and three-door forms, which launched as an electric city car. The Nuova 500 shows the way forward, according to a statement from Fiat’s chief executive officer, Oliver François, as Fiat will transition to a fully-electric fleet between the years 2025 and 2030.
This means the brand will join a growing number of others that have pledged to fully embrace EVs in roughly the same timeframe. While it’s an open question as to whether Fiat will still be selling cars in this country in the next couple of years, let alone nearly ten years down the road, the company’s goal is to “bring to market electric cars that cost no more than those with an internal combustion engine, as soon as we can, in line with the falling costs of batteries,” François said in the statement.
As part of the pledge, the company is exploring other initiatives both practical and also more symbolic. The famous, iconic rooftop test track on top of the Lingotto factory in Turin will be converted to a massive hanging gardens installation. The company is researching urban planning solutions to ease adoption of EVs and reduce emissions. But 2030 is a long way off. We’ll see how Fiat—and other automotive brands with similar pledges—turns its green aspirations into concrete action.
