The Fiat 500e is not selling well.
Stellantis halted production of the pint-sized electric car in Sept. 12 sees low demand. Reuters reported on Tuesday that production is not scheduled to resume until November 1.
The original production stop is scheduled to last only four weeks with a scheduled start date of Oct. 11.
Stellantis, Fiat's parent company, reduced production operations at the Mirafiori plant in Turin, Italy in February, noting that it was a response to weak market demand for the Fiat 500e electric car. The slowdown was planned for the site to operate on one reduced eight-hour shift. Previously, the factory operated in two shifts.
2024 Fiat 500e
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares will meet with an Italian parliamentary committee next week to discuss the Italian automaker's production, according to Reuters.
Reuters reported that despite the production halt Stellantis has re-committed to its plan to invest 100 million euros ($111 million) in developing an improved battery pack and producing a new 500 Hybrid model by early 2026.
In September, Italian officials told the European Union that it must review a plan to end the sale of new internal combustion cars by 2035.
“The ban must be changed,” said Italian energy minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin. A government official called the ban “absurd” and that it was determined by “ideological considerations.”
The 2024 Fiat 500e costs $34,095 and has an EPA-estimated range of 149 miles. Green Car Reports said it “appeals to city drivers” when we drove it in April.