Gray might be one of the most popular color options for cars, but Fiat has decided to stop offering the option in favor of more colorful alternatives.
The upcoming fully electric 600e---set to debut July 4---will be one of the stars of a new campaign, which explains why it got color-dipped in a huge bucket with Fiat’s CEO sitting behind the wheel.
Fiat wants the absence of gray to become a “distinctive feature of Fiat’s cars in the automotive market” and make it “the brand of colors” coming from the “land of colors." In that context, the shades of Fiat’s current and future models are inspired by the sea, sun, earth and sky of Italy.
Examples already available on the 500e, 500 Hybrid, 500X, Panda and Tipo include Gelato white, Sicilia orange, Paprika orange, Passione red, Blu Dipinto di Blu, Italia blue, Venezia blue, Rugiada green, Foresta green, Rose gold and Cinema black, all referencing Fiat’s country of origin.
The unconventional car-dipping stunt took place in the Italian city of Lerici during the summer solstice June 21. The official video, titled “Operation No Grey,” shows CEO Olivier Francois explaining why Fiat made this decision, before jumping into the huge bucket of orange paint inside a silver Fiat 600e.
Francois criticized German, Japanese and French automakers for sticking with gray while walking by two silver SUVs---namely a first-gen Nissan Qashqai and a Stellantis-sourced DS 3. The Fiat CEO admitted gray is “an easy sell” as it has proven to be quite popular with buyers. Still, he makes a point that Italy is different from all those countries, backed by the beautiful scenery and Hollywood-esque color-grading of the video.
In addition, we also got a date for the official reveal of the all-new Fiat 600e: July 4. Besides coinciding with Independence Day, this date has a historic significance to the Fiat 500, as the original debuted July 4, 1957, and its modern reincarnation followed in 2007.
