Legacy automaker Stellantis will reportedly offer another affordable electric vehicle model following the Citroën e-C3. The move is part of the parent company’s strategy to catch up with industry leaders like Tesla and reclaim relevance in the highly competitive market.
For context, Tesla currently dominates the market with approximately 889,000 EV sales in H1 2023. Now, the American automaker is on track to hit its 1.8 million sales target this year.
New Fiat EV to rival Renault and BYD in Europe
Fiat CEO Olivier Francois recently stated that the brand aims to launch a “no-frills Fiat Panda-inspired model” that costs below €25,000 (around $A42,000). That said, the planned EV will feature some design elements from the iconic Fiat Panda.
The Chief further disclosed that the new Fiat EV will debut in July 2024 to compete with Renault Dacia Spring and Chinese-made EVs.
“There’s a real need for more affordable EVs.”
Fiat CEO Olivier Francois (via Bloomberg)
The automaker will also most likely compete with the popular models from China’s BYD, including the Atto 3.
As mentioned, Stellantis initially unveiled its first low-priced offering Citroën e-C3. It is also set to rival the Dacia Spring EV in the European market. However, its launch is about six months ahead of the Fiat EV.
Since both models come from the same parent company, they may feature some similarities.
“It’s very likely that there will be synergies.”
Fiat CEO Olivier Francois (via Bloomberg)
See Also:
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- Toyota and Stellantis oppose Biden Administration’s proposed ambitious tailpipe emission limits
- Canada to offer billions in incentives to Stellantis and LG for a new EV battery factory
- Stellantis hints at new compact and midsize EVs with up to 435 miles between charges
- Ford, GM, and Stellantis to gain the most EV market share in the US, a report says
Unfortunately, Stellantis has yet to announce if the new Fiat EV will also be available for US customers. Nonetheless, these efforts to offer cheaper EV models will undoubtedly aid the automaker in boosting its sales and deliveries. In effect, its market share may also increase.
All that said, it would be interesting to see how these two new Stellantis EV models would fare in the EV market.