The Fiat 500X will be a unique affair in the United States as the small crossover will not be renewed for a second generation. Talk with Engine trend at the Los Angeles Auto Show, company CEO Olivier François announced the planned demise of the subcompact model: “When it dies, it dies. We won’t replace it.” The big boss went on to say that “Fiat is not here to be everything for everyone everywhere”.
The Italian brand plans to focus solely on the 500 supermini, which will go on sale in the United States in early 2024. Customers will be able to place an order six months in advance, but it’s unclear if the styles hatchback and convertible body styles are coming. or just the first. Hopefully the Abarth 500e introduced earlier this week in Europe makes it to this side of the pond. It could happen as Olivier admitted he “would love to bring it to the United States at some point”.
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Although Fiat USA discontinued the previous-generation gasoline-powered 500 at the end of 2019, the model is still sold on the Old Continent. Not only that, but Abarth has updated its performance derivative for the 2023MY. However, Fiat has no plans to bring back the ICE-powered model, as the plan is to sell the latest generation electric model exclusively. The 500L minivan isn’t coming back either.
It’s unclear how much the 2024 500th will cost in the United States, but Olivier warns us that “it will be expensive”. Additionally, special limited-run editions might carry “ridiculously high” price tags. The Fiat CEO is aware that the pint-sized electric vehicle won’t be a huge commercial success in North America and finds it acceptable to sell just 10,000 cars a year. The electric hatch will not be offered nationwide, but its availability will extend beyond states that have a ZEV program.
Fiat intends to show off the 2024 US-bound 500e at the Los Angeles Auto Show next year. It is expected to look almost like its European counterpart except for the necessary changes to comply with regulations. It will be offered with the larger of the two batteries, a 42 kWh pack, and in a single trim level.
