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You can now lease a Fiat 500e for zero down and zero dollars a month before taxes – or, well, at least some customers can.

Longtime EV drivers will remember a time when Fiat was leasing its 500e for crazy low prices.

At the time, Fiat’s CEO, Sergio Marchionne, was one of the loudest advocates against EVs – but part of his advocacy was because he also ran one of the highest-emitting car companies, which meant it had to spend billions of dollars to make up the penalties for its noncompliance with pollution laws.

One of Fiat’s methods to try to get into compliance was to sell as many cute, tiny, electric Fiat 500es as possible in California and Oregon, the only states it was available in at the time. And it did so by offering crazy lease prices, as low as around $69/mo. Many customers snatched one up, even as a “spare” car, because the lease cost far less than the amount they’d save in fuel from leaving their gasser at home more often.

The old version of the 500e went the way of the dodo for the US market in 2019, but then Fiat resurrected the car and started selling the “New 500e” in the US this year, and it’s available in more states too.

Fiat 500e

And now, those times of crazy lease prices seem to be back, but this time it’s in Colorado, and the lease is even cheaper.

Fiat 500e for $0/mo, $0 down (+tax) in Denver

One dealership in Colorado, Larry H. Miller Chrysler/Dodge/Ram/FIAT Denver, is now offering a 27-month lease for $0/month and $0 down, making the car basically free… well, before taxes. Including taxes, you’ll have to pay a $1,297.68 down payment, but the $0/month fee carries through the whole lease term from there. At the end of the lease, you’re responsible for a $395 disposition fee, making the total cost just under $1,700 for the 27 month lease. That’s under $63/month, on average.

The dealership is able to offer this low price due to government incentives, which are excellent in the state of Colorado (which, like California, also has strict emissions rules that Fiat wants to gain compliance with). Not only does the car benefit from the $7,500 federal tax credit, but Colorado also has a state credit of $7,500 on cars under $35k MSRP, which the 500e qualifies for (it’s $5k on cars >$35k). These credits are retained by the dealer, and used to lower the lease price.

This all means a car with a $32.5k base price can have pretty much the entire cost of the lease covered by incentives, except for taxes. Fiat calculates the residual value of the car will be $17,388.45 at the end of the lease term, at which point customers can purchase it for that amount if they like.

Fiat-500e-affordable-EV
Fiat’s new 500e (Source: Stellantis)

There’s still limited mileage of 10,000 miles per year, after which you pay .30/mile. But the 500e is still very much focused on being a city car, with its small size, 42kWh battery, and around 140-150 miles of range. So for drivers who want a right-sized car to get around town instead of a ridiculous land yacht, it could be quite a good option.

As a driver who used to have a ~100mi range Mini E, this was plenty to get around Southern California (and I could find parking anywhere) – and I didn’t even have 85kW DC charging capability like the 500e does. So if you have a long commute that maxes out that range, you might run afoul of the 10,000-mile limitation, but if you’re using it for a shorter commute and running around town you should be fine.

If you happen to be near Denver, you can find the deal here on Larry H. Miller’s site. But if you aren’t in Colorado and still want a Fiat 500e, feel free to use our link to reach out to local dealers in your area to find a 2024 Fiat 500e. We imagine this won’t be the only crazy lease deal on them out there – but it’s certainly the craziest we’ve seen.


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Here’s what TSLA analysts are saying about Tesla’s big delivery miss

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Here's what TSLA analysts are saying about Tesla's big delivery miss

Most Wall Street analysts covering Tesla’s stock (TSLA) badly misread the automaker’s delivery volumes this quarter. Some of them have started releasing notes to clients following Tesla’s production and delivery results.

Here’s what they have to say:

According to Tesla-compiled analyst consensus, the automaker was expected to report “377,592 deliveries” in the first quarter.

Tesla confirmed yesterday that it delivered only 336,000 electric vehicles during the first three months of 2025.

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  • Cantor Fitzgerald was the first analyst firm to issue a note after the release. They reaffirmed their overweight rating with a $425 price target. As we previously reported, Cantor has some major conflicts of interest with Tesla and CEO Elon Musk.
  • Truist Securities maintained its hold rating on Tesla’s stock, but it greatly lowered its price target from $373 to $280 a share. They insist that while their earnings expectations have crashed because they overestimated deliveries, investors should focus on Tesla’s self-driving effort, which they see as “much more important for the long-term value of the stock.”
  • Goldman Sachs lowered its price target from $320 to $275 a share. The firm expected 375,000 deliveries from Tesla in Q1 and therefore had to adjust its earnings expectations with almost 40,000 fewer deliveries.
  • Wedbush‘s Dan Ives, one of Tesla’s biggest cheerleaders, called the delivery results “disastrous”, but he reiterated his $550 price target on Tesla’s stock.
  • UBS has reiterated its $225 price target which it had lowered last month after adjusting its delivery expectations in Q1 to 367,000 – one of the more accurate predictions on Wall Street.
  • CFRA‘s analyst Garrett Nelson reduced his price target from $385 to $360 a share.

Electrek’s Take

I find it funny that most of them are maintaining or barely changing their expectations after they were so wrong about Tesla in Q1.

If you were so wrong in Q1, you should expect to be incorrect also for the rest of the year, and readjust accordingly.

But Cantor is invested in Tesla, and the firm is owned by Elon’s friend, who happens to now be the secretary of commerce. Truist still believes Elon’s self-driving lies, Goldman Sachs overestimated Tesla’s deliveries by the equivalent of $2 billion in revenues, and Dan Ives is Dan Ives.

Covering Tesla over the last 15 years has confirmed to me that most Wall Street analysts have no idea what they are doing – or at least not when it comes to companies like Tesla.

Do you know any who have been consistently good lately? I’d love suggestions in the comment section below.

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Fintech stocks such as Affirm, PayPal plunge on concern Trump tariffs will hurt consumer spending

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Fintech stocks such as Affirm, PayPal plunge on concern Trump tariffs will hurt consumer spending

The global market rout on Thursday, sparked by President Donald Trump’s announcement of widespread tariffs, had an outsized effect on fintech companies and credit card issuers that are closely tied to consumer spending and credit.

Affirm, which offers buy now, pay later purchasing options, plunged 19%, while stock trading app Robinhood slid 10% and payments company PayPal fell 8%. American Express and Capital One each tumbled 10%, and Discover was down more than 8%.

President Trump on Wednesday laid out the U.S. “reciprocal tariff” rates that more than 180 countries and territories, including European Union members, will face under his sweeping new trade policy. Trump said his plan will set a 10% baseline tariff across the board, but that number is much higher for some countries.

The announcement sent stocks reeling, wiping out nearly $2 trillion in value from the S&P 500, and pushing the tech-heavy Nasdaq down 6%, its worst day since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

The sell-off was especially notable for companies most exposed to consumer spending and global supply chains, including payment providers and lenders. Fintech companies that rely on transaction volume or installment-based lending could see both revenue and credit performance deteriorate.

“When you go down the spectrum, that’s when you have more cyclical risk, more exposure to tariffs,” said Sanjay Sakhrani, an analyst at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, citing PayPal and Affirm as businesses at risk. He said bigger companies in the space “are more defensive” and better positioned.

Visa, Mastercard and Fiserv held up better on Thursday.

Dan Dolev, an analyst at Mizuho, said bank processors such as Fiserv are less exposed to tariff volatility.

“It’s considered a safe haven,” he said.

Affirm executives have previously said rising prices might increase demand for their products. Chief Financial Officer Rob O’Hare said higher prices could push more consumers toward buy now, pay later services.

“If tariffs result in higher prices for consumers, we’re there to help,” O’Hare said at a Stocktwits fireside chat last month. Affirm CEO Max Levchin has offered similar comments.

However, James Friedman, an analyst at SIG, told CNBC that delinquencies become a concern. He compared Affirm to private-label store cards, and pointed to historical trends in credit performance during downturns, noting that “private label delinquency rates run roughly double” in a recession when compared to traditional credit cards.

“You have to look at who’s overexposed to discretionary,” he said.

Affirm did not provide a comment but pointed to recent remarks from its executives.

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Mazda’s $20,000 Chinese EV is about to launch overseas and a new SUV is up next

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Mazda's ,000 Chinese EV is about to launch overseas and a new SUV is up next

Wait, Mazda sells a real EV? It’s only in China for now, but that will change very soon. The first Mazda 6e built for overseas markets rolled off the assembly line Thursday. Mazda’s new EV will arrive in Europe, Southeast Asia, and other overseas markets later this year. This could be the start of something with a new SUV due out next.

Mazda’s new EV rolls off assembly for overseas markets

The Mazda EZ-6 has been on sale in China since October with prices starting as low as 139,800 yuan, or slightly under $20,000.

Earlier this year, Mazda introduced the 6e, the global version of its electric car sold in China. The stylish electric sedan is made by Changan Mazda, Mazda’s joint venture in China.

After the first Mazda 6e model rolled off the production line at the company’s Nanjing Plant, Mazda said it’s ready to “conquer the new era of electrification with China Smart Manufacturing.”

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The new global “6e” model will be built at Changan Mazda’s plant and exported to overseas markets including Europe, Thailand, and other parts of Southeast Asia.

Mazda calls it “both a Chinese car and a global car,” with Changan’s advanced EV tech and Mazda’s signature design.

Mazda-first-EV-overseas
Mazda 6e electric sedan during European debut (Source: Changan Mazda)

Built on Changan’s hybrid platform, the EZ-6 is offered in China with both electric (EV) and extended-range (EREV) powertrains. The EV version has a CLTC driving range of up to 600 km (372 miles) and can fast charge (30% to 80%) in about 15 minutes.

Mazda’s new EV will be available with two battery options in Europe: 68.8 kWh or 80 kWh. The larger (80 kWh) battery gets up to 552 km (343 miles) WLTP range, while the 68.8 kWh version is rated with up to 479 km (300 miles) range on the WLTP rating scale.

At 4,921 mm long, 1,890 mm wide, and 1,491 mm tall, the Mazda 6e is about the size of a Tesla Model 3 (4,720 mm long, 1,922 mm wide, and 1,441 mm tall).

Mazda said the successful rollout of the 6e kicks off “the official launch of Changan Mazda’s new energy vehicle export center” for global markets.

The company will launch a new SUV next year and plans to introduce a third and fourth new energy vehicle (NEV).

Although prices will be announced closer to launch, Mazda’s global EV will not arrive with the same $20,000 price tag in Europe as it will face tariffs as an export from China. Mazda is expected to launch the 6e later this year in Europe and Southeast Asia. Check back soon for more info.

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