When Fiat announced its intention to bring the 500e to the U.S. and North America, it also introduced a novel method of selling its cars. Instead of a traditional inventory and order sheet, it would do “drops,” akin to a new designer bag, or a pair of red boots from MSCHF.
For each drop, a handful of units are made in a specific theme, color, or equipment package, and when they’re sold out—they’re sold out. Fiat has announced its latest drop, which follows up with its sold-out Project (Red) initial units. There are two new flavors of the Fiat 500e—Inspired by Beauty, and Inspired by Music, both of which add more style and equipment to the standard Fiat 500e.
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Fiat’s sales tactics could work
On paper, the Fiat 500e’s price and range seem like a hard sell. But, Fiat’s novel way of selling the model via “drops”, could be the way forward for the brand. The initial drop, the Project (Red) edition, sold out fairly quickly after it was announced.
First up, is the inspired by Beauty. Painted in a trendy shade of Rose Gold, the Inspired By Beauty edition is the only way to get this paint color on a Fiat 500. Inside, Fiat has coated the dashboard and steering wheel in a fashionable eco-leather The seats are also wrapped in eco-leather, but colored beige.
The aptly named Inspired By Music variant is meant to appeal to Audiophiles. Developed with legendary Italian Maestro Andrea Bocelli, the Fiat 500e’s 7-speaker JBL audio system comes with a fleet of Virtual Venues that Fiat says “offers listeners a virtual-reality audio experience that changes the acoustic characteristics of the car depending on the chosen location.” There are four to choose from that Fiat describes as follows:
• My Music Room – An intimate musical experience as if the artist was playing your favorite song right in front of you
• My Recording Studio – Pure acoustics and beautiful tones of a real recording space created specifically for music and recording
• Giuseppe Verdi Opera House, Pisa – Feel the spectacular nature of music in a unique theatre setting. It’s as if you were sitting front and center, enjoying a live performance
• Open-Air Arena – Hear the unmistakable acoustics and energetic feeling of an open-air arena
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Underneath, both editions are the same as the standard Fiat 500e. This means the car has a 149-mile range from a 42 kWh battery. That might not sound like much, but it does seem fairly respectable for a car with a not-so-big battery. That battery feeds a 117-horsepower front motor, pulling the car to 60 MPH in 8.5 seconds. Also, the two new variants introduce Fiat’s new level 2 ADAS system. The details are thin, but Fiat says the 500e uses the lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control for Level 2 hands-on monitored assisted driving in some places.
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The Inspired By Beauty and Inspired By Music editions are a little pricier than the standard 500e. These units are $36,000, including the destination fee, up from the $34,095 of the initial Project (Red) edition. The Inspired By Music, and Inspired By Beauty editions will go on sale this coming fall.