by Corneel Vanfleteren
published on Saturday, August 12, 2023 at 6:15 pm •
2 min read
The Italian car brand Fiat announces that the company will no longer produce gray cars. However, behind this seemingly banal action there is a whole marketing idea, as told car journalist Gert Verhoeven Business AM.
Listen to the full interview with Gert Verhoeven here:
The essence: Although stopping the sale of gray cars is mainly a marketing stunt, there is certainly a strategy behind it. Consumers associate bright colors with more expensive cars.
Verhoeven: “Fiat has a range that is limited to the Fiat 500 in all its shapes and especially colours. In recent years, many versions of the Fiat 500 have come in special colors. The company makes a statement, but in practice not much will change. With the new electric model, the 600, Fiat no longer goes for gray. That is mainly marketing.” “That marketing story goes even further, because manufacturers are trying to do everything they can to justify the higher price of an electric car. And color is an element of that. In recent years we have seen a lot of electric models in bright green colors, to make the link with the green car. We are used to more expensive products coming in those kinds of colors. That Fiat 600 is a small car, but it still costs 25,000 euros.” “Fiat is a brand that mainly sells to private individuals, where color is much less important. The gray that we see in the street scene is due to company cars that are bought in a certain color to make it easier to sell after their four-year term,” says Verhoeven. “Second-hand cars sell faster when they have a color that no one will offend.”
2023-08-12 16:18:12
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