While Fiat Chrysler Automobiles refuses to say how many electric Fiat 500e cars it's sold over the past several years, there are likely more than many people think.
We know the number is at least 7,000 from recall notices, for instance.
And FCA is continuing with aggressive efforts to sell the little electric three-door hatchback.
DON'T MISS: Group Buy Of Fiat 500e Ignites 'Feeding Frenzy,' 100-Plus Bought (Mar 2015)
The latest promotion comes via Motor1, which reports that one California dealer is offering a truly startling Black Friday special (which runs through the weekend).
Orange Coast Fiat in Costa Mesa is offering to lease a new Fiat 500e for $49 per month with no money down. The base price of a new 500e starts at $31,800 before incentives.
And that $49 is probably the single lowest lease price we've ever seen for any electric car.
2017 Fiat 500e
It definitely beats the $83 monthly lease cost offered 18 months ago by a California dealer that led to a "feeding frenzy" of more than 100 leases.
That offer ricocheted around a group of California race-car drivers and friends, dozens of whom ended up learning just how much fun the electric Fiat 500 is to drive.
ALSO SEE: 2017 electric cars with more than 100 miles of range
And it points to FCA's challenge in meeting California's strict zero-emission vehicle sales mandate for the state's six largest carmakers ranked by sales.
FCA chief Sergio Marchionne has complained bitterly in the past that his company loses more than $10,000 on each Fiat 500e it sells.
2017 Fiat 500e
The challenge is that with a new crop of electric cars this year now offering more than 100 miles of range—or 238 miles in the case of the Chevy Bolt EV—the aging Fiat 500e is increasingly obsolete.
The car is now in its fifth model year all but unchanged, and its EPA-rated range of 84 miles is now toward the bottom of the electric-car list.
CHECK OUT: Fiat 500e Electric Car: First Drive (Apr 2013)
That said, if the little Italian hatchback appeals to you and you're a California resident looking for cheap wheels ... it's going to be very hard to beat this deal.
The question then becomes, until Chrysler has a new and longer-range electric car, how low can Fiat 500e prices go to keep the company compliant with California's laws?
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