Fiat, which makes somewhat affordable small-ish cars, said on Monday that, “As of today, FIAT stops producing grey cars,” as in selling cars painted gray. That’s “big” and apparently true, as signs point to this not being some kind of Voltswagen-level joke.
There is a press release, after all. And a video featuring Fiat CEO Olivier François which shows a gray car being dipped into a giant vat of orange paint, which is how they paint cars at the factory.
François said that this is a huge change, very large, one might say mondo, even lusty.
“We broke the rules: we decided to stop the production of FIAT grey cars. This is challenging and disruptive and it is aimed to further reinforcing FIAT’s leadership as the Brand of joy, colours, and optimism. Italy is the country of colours and, starting from today, FIAT’s cars too - declared Olivier Francois, FIAT Chief Executive Officer and Global Chief Marketing Officer at Stellantis - This choice further communicates to people the New Dolce Vita values and the Italian DNA embodied by the Brand. FIAT wants to inspire people to live with optimism and positivity and this will also be one of the missions of the new Fiat 600e, the electric for families and friends, which will be presented on 4th July”.
This seems only for Europe, as the press release is on Fiat’s UK website, and Fiat lists two grays on its American website available (for now) for the 500X, Grigio Moda (Graphite Gray Mettalic) and Grigio Argento (Gray Metallic). (FiatUSA.com also has a gray 500 as the lead image on its website as of this writing.)
Still, it is true that gray, black, and white cars are the majority of cars globally, and Fiat nixing even one of those does count as bold for any automaker. Big if true, etc. Fiat says the following colors will be available going forward: “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.”
Also, in what is a pretty funny insult to Brits, Fiat included the following as the last line of their press release about not producing gray cars anymore:
Grey is the most popular colour for new cars in the UK according to official registration figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), representing more than one in four new cars sold in the UK in 2022.
Now, it’s a bit unfair to mock Brits as dour, grey, and fusty, which are outmoded stereotypes based on the weather in the UK, Brits’ general demeanor, and their cultural exports. It’s not like, for example, gray is the most popular new car color in the UK or anything.