What if what was just an April Fool's joke became reality? While Fiat is preparing to unveil the hybrid version of its 500 at the Turin Motor Show on September 26 and 28, the pre-production prototypes already on the streets of Piedmont have a surprise in store. Among them, a Fiat 500 hybrid... in gray.
An anecdotal detail? Not really. Because this color should never have come back. Remember: in the summer of 2023, Olivier François, CEO of Fiat, struck a media blow by announcing the end of grey in the range. A radical choice designed to reinforce the brand's Italian identity:
"We have decided to stop producing grey cars. It's a gamble and a break that aims to reinforce Fiat's leadership as a brand that conveys joy, color and optimism. Italy is the land of contrasts and colors, and from now on, Fiat cars are too."
With the new 600e, Fiat inaugurated a flamboyant color palette inspired by the sea, the sun and the land of Italy. Farewell to sobriety, welcome to the colorful Dolce Vita.
For two years, the brand kept its word. Not a single grey Fiat in the catalogs, a decision that was accepted and even ridiculed by... us, on the occasion of an April fool's joke published in 2024. In this fictitious article, we imagined Olivier François humorously announcing: "Gray will return. A joke that made people smile.
But now what was just a joke could become reality. The Fiat 500 hybrid, whose full range will be unveiled in November 2025, with deliveries scheduled for February 2026, is already being tested in an unmistakable shade of gray.
Why this step backwards? It's hard not to think about the market itself. Because despite all the marketing hype, year after year, grey remains one of the best-selling colors in Europe, alongside white and black. A choice perceived as elegant, sober, timeless...
Fiat hasn't officially confirmed anything yet, but the symbolism is strong. Not only is the 500, originally conceived as a 100 % electric model, to be offered in a hybrid version, but the gray color, banned in 2023, could also make a comeback. If the grey 500 hybrid were to appear in the catalog in 2026, it would show that Fiat has got its strategy wrong twice... reminding us that, in the end, it's always the customers who dictate the truth of the market.
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In fact, the range of colors offered on the 500E has always struck me. Gray! So many tasteless colors
Great marketing to cancel grey, but a stupid decision. It remains the most popular colour, why put a road block in the way for someone buying a Fiat. Fiat need sales, its not their responsibility to colour the planet!
one more piece of crap if people want a pink or green car it's the customer's choice
With pricing power at half-mast, it is absolutely essential to compensate with volumes, so much the better for customers 😉
Oliver Francois ist kein Fiat Mann. Kennt die DNA Fiat nicht. Hoffentlich ist der bald weg.