Fiat Makes A Splash With The US Release Of The 500e – CleanTechnica

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Recently, Fiat introduced the latest version of the 500e to the United States. But, the company didn’t want to just put out a press release. Fiat wanted to do it with some style and some flair to really get the word out. A special video, also commemorating World AIDS Day, showcases the debut of a special version of the vehicle, the Fiat (500e)RED. The video brings together Olivier Francois, CEO of FIAT and global chief marketing officer of Stellantis, and Bono, the lead singer of U2 and co-founder of ONE and (RED). This launch event took place on Friday, December 1st.

Instead of starting out on a stage somewhere, the video starts with a parking garage, and with Francois getting in a deep red Fiat 500e. He then greeted the audience in a very down-to-earth way. The plan? To take the car from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.

In the video, he drives around to different places while explaining that people can order the car today for arrival early next year. It all starts out with the red-on-red-on-red version of the vehicle, to celebrate (RED), an organization that seeks to eradicate AIDS in Africa, among other things.

It also gives the company a good chance to talk up its benefits. A simplified (but not overly simplified) interior, environmental friendliness, and handling (seen on the screen but not discussed). It can be ordered with a home charging station or charging credits, included in the price. It’s got decent range for local driving in cities, too.

He ends up in Las Vegas in front of the sphere, and it shows off the vehicle behind him. Instead of throwing a concert, Bono shows up in a video call sitting in his own 500e in Vegas, further spreading the message of (RED).

Full details on the vehicle can be found here and you can also find ordering details here.

What’s Great About This

I’ve always found the normal way of doing car announcements pretty cheesy. Throwing a concert event that focuses more on the celebrities than the car itself combined with an overly rock concert-like presentation with the vehicle driving on the stage is just cliche at this point, and can distract from what people really want to know about a new car.

But, this more down-to-earth approach, even if it’s still acting, shows the vehicle on the road, touts its features, and gives customers some information about a cause they can support. Instead of being entirely shallow, this went deeper while also being accessible.

I’d really like to see more car companies do stuff like this. Not only is it probably cheaper, but it’s more substantive than a big rock show in most cases. It’s fun to get free trips out to those events, of course, but from the perspective of a customer sitting at home, this makes a lot more sense. There may be some middle ground between this and the big events worth exploring, too, but I personally like this a lot.

Featured image provide by Fiat.