The New Fiat 500 makes its debut at the Quirinale and Palazzo Chigi

John Elkann, Pietro Gorlier and Olivier François present the New 500, FCA’s zero-emissions car, to the highest echelons of the Italian State

Today, the New 500 made its institutional debut, firstly at the Palazzo del Quirinale, where the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles full-electric car was presented to the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, by John Elkann, Chairman of FCA; by Pietro Gorlier, Chief Operating Officer EMEA Region FCA; and by Olivier Francois, President Fiat Brand Global. The FCA Management then traveled to Palazzo Chigi to present the New 500 to Giuseppe Conte, the Italian Prime Minister.

At the Quirinale, the car was presented in the courtyard of the presidential palace. John Elkann, Pietro Gorlier and Olivier François explained to President Mattarella how the third generation of the 500 is the all-Italian response to the sustainable mobility of tomorrow.

The New 500 BEV was created, designed and engineered in Turin: a truly “Made at Fiat” and “Made in Turin” product. Just another shining example of the creativity and innovation of which the company and the city – where Fiat was founded over 120 years ago – are proud. This is also demonstrated by all the e-Mobility initiatives, created at the Mirafiori complex. These include the Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) pilot project, which – once fully completed – will be the largest plant of its kind in the world.  By the end of 2021, the infrastructure will have the capacity to interconnect up to 700 electric vehicles, capable of providing ultrafast grid services to the transmission network operator, as well as recharging the vehicles themselves.

In the afternoon, the FCA senior managers visited the seat of the Italian Government to meet Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who was introduced to the New Fiat 500 in the courtyard of Palazzo Chigi. The perfect opportunity to reaffirm FCA’s commitment to implementing its broad investment plan for Italy, much of which has already been launched in domestic plants. The plan is based on a transformation of the Italian automotive industry with a view to a low-emissions future, powered by increasingly connected hybrid and electric vehicles.

To picture the future of the 500, the Fiat brand started from what made it what it is today. The same was true of the first generation, which offered mobility and freedom in the ’60s. The 500 represented a sea change, a car always on the crest of the wave, and has established itself as an icon since its debut 63 years ago. With the 2007 second generation, the Fiat 500 became an exemplar of the Italian fashion and style that have conquered the world. And now, at a time when mobility is expected to be more sustainable, connected and autonomous, the third generation of the Fiat 500 is once again to the fore, bringing with it design and driving pleasure, along with its symbolic value, exceptional styling and strong character, which have become a firm part of the collective unconscious.

Just like in the ’60s, when the 500 breathed life into mass mobility by raising Italian culture and nonchalance to another level, the New 500 is now channeling positivity and the restart, becoming its banner and bringing a new dimension to the sustainability of electric urban mobility.

Turin, July 3, 2020