“Setting a new Tempo”: FIAT is in the fast lane of electrification

The “Setting a new Tempo” event took place last night, showing how FIAT is in the fast lane of electrification, and celebrating the collaboration between the Italian brand and the Bocelli family.
Special guest of the evening the Maestro Andrea Bocelli, Matteo Bocelli and the New 500 “La Prima by Bocelli”, the first and only electric city car in the world equipped with JBL’s “Virtual Venues” technology.
On this special event, the M° Andrea Bocelli and his son, raising international star, Matteo Bocelli performed together on stage to launch Matteo’s new single “Tempo”, which is also the soundtrack of the spot for the launch of the “New 500 La Prima by Bocelli”.
It was also the occasion to preview an evocative docu-film on the genesis of the refined audio system and the commercial dedicated to the new car, which featured the latest single “Tempo” by Matteo Bocelli (Capitol Records).

“We are excited about this event realized together with Andrea and Matteo Bocelli, special people who have made this evening unique and with whom we have developed a great project. This is how the New 500 “La Prima by Bocelli” and an extraordinary premium audio system mastered by Maestro Bocelli’s ‘absolute ear’ were created”, stated Olivier Francois, FIAT CEO and Stellantis Global CMO. “And Matteo’s new single ‘Tempo’ is the soundtrack of the TV commercial for the new car. With the New 500 “La Prima by Bocelli”, therefore, we didn’t just design a car. We designed an experience, a beautiful Italian experience. After all, there is one essential aspect that stands out when driving an electric car: silence. The beauty, the relaxing beauty of a perfectly quiet cabin, the best location to turn this perfect quiet into perfect sound, designed for electric cars. You will feel as if you are in the “golden seat” of the best opera house. In short, we have not brought a car into Bocelli’s world, but we have brought Bocelli’s world into our icon.”

“I am happy about this unprecedented and daring collaboration.” declared the Maestro Andrea Bocelli. “The search for beauty has always been my main inspiration. Thanks to the Fiat 500, an icon of style in the world, we have joined forces to offer a new experience of beauty and multi-sensory harmony. And with the innovative technology developed, every journey will be enriched with the desired emotion, and our inner voice (because we all sing in our hearts) will experience being in a theater, an open-air arena, a recording studio… I am honored that this exclusive FIAT 500 model is named after me, but I think that it ideally bears the name of those who choose to pursue and practice beauty, by driving it.”
“I am deeply honored to be involved in this incredible partnership, thanks to FIAT for making this project and the incredible audio system possible,” stated Matteo Bocelli. “Thank you, Olivier and all the amazing team who worked hard behind this project for months together. And thanks to William9 and his team for the incredible and beautiful work in the official video of Tempo, a song I co-wrote and that I really care about.”

“Our collaboration on the New 500 draws on JBL’s rich heritage to create magical audio moments for today and tomorrow,” said Christian Sobottka, President of HARMAN Automotive. “The mastery of Andrea Bocelli along with JBL’s acoustic expertise has led to the creation of an exceptional audio system that brings the power of music to life as it amplifies the pleasure of driving.”

The event was also the occasion to celebrate the accomplishments of the New 500. With 30 international awards to date, the FIAT icon is the best-selling electric city car in eleven countries and the second best-selling electric car in any segment in Europe, behind only Tesla. In Italy and France, it is the best-selling electric model ever, while it ranks second in Germany, the largest electric car market in Europe. The future of the brand’s most prized jewel is set to become global, continuing a journey that began in Europe, moving on to Brazil and Japan.

With the goal of increasing attention to the conversion to green, FIAT therefore sets a new tempo to its electrification strategy, accelerating towards an increasingly sustainable future. Currently, the Italian brand boasts its entire electrified range, thanks to the recent entry of hybrid versions of the 500X and Tipo. And by 2024 will go full electric on every new FIAT in Europe, and from 2027 FIAT will say farewell to fossil fuels in Europe.

The world of M° Bocelli in the New 500 through four “Virtual Venues”

The entire world of the Bocelli is now in the New 500, thanks to JBL’s sophisticated “Virtual Venues” technology and Maestro Bocelli’s absolute ear. The exclusive JBL Premium Audio Mastered by Bocelli system ensures an immersive audio experience. In particular, the world’s most popular living tenor chose four ideal spaces in which he has performed to create custom “Virtual Venues”:

• “My Music Room” setting transforms the car into a small, comfortable space with a colorful and warm sound, the Maestro explains: “My favorite music space at home: a relaxing cocoon dedicated to sound perfection”;
• “My Recording Studio” contains “The acoustics of my own studio: an intimate space engineered for artists to capture perfection”;
• “G. Verdi Opera House” setting takes listeners into the first row of a concert hall like Pisa’s Giuseppe Verdi opera house. Bocelli said “I made my debut at Teatro Verdi, Pisa, one of the finest venues in the world. We acoustically mapped it to give you the full Opera House experience.”;
• “My Open-air Arena” replicates the sensations and atmospheres which are typical of a live performance in an outdoor location: “These acoustics are inspired by ‘Teatro del Silenzio’, my own Tuscan hilltop arena where the peace of nature plays host to the pure energy of open-air performances”, the Maestro concludes.

In addition to the four listening settings, the JBL Premium Audio Mastered by Bocelli makes use of the functions of a premium audio system like the Intelligent Speed Control Volume which, through an advanced algorithm, maintains the perceived music reproduction level and low frequency balance at any vehicle speed. The system also includes Variable EQs which ensure a smoother audio experience regardless of the sound outside and provide a smoother audio experience in any roof position.

The docu-film

The meeting between two icons, one musical and the other automotive, results in a great challenge: combining the aesthetics of the New 500 “La Prima” with the innovative Premium audio system by JBL, tuned and mastered by the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. This is how the docu-film was created, telling the genesis of the four “Virtual Venues” of the new audio system, through an evocative interview hosted by Olivier Francois with Maestro Andrea Bocelli. Plus, the JBL engineers go into detail of the premium audio system, explaining how the virtual venues work and all the technicalities behind them. Directed by director Ago Panini for the Movie Magic production company and embellished at the end by the song “Tempo” by Matteo Bocelli.

The new spot for the New 500 “La Prima by Bocelli” with ‘Tempo’ by Matteo Bocelli

After the official preview at the event, the new spot for the New 500 “La Prima by Bocelli” made its debut last night on the occasion of Eurovision 2022 – of which FIAT is National Partner and Official Car -. Created by the advertising agency Leo Burnett, directed by director William9 for the production company Twister Film, and the sountrack ‘Tempo’ by Matteo Bocelli, the video tells the story of four young people who, comfortably seated on board the New 500 “La Prima by Bocelli”, listen to “Tempo” by Matteo Bocelli. The commercial closes with a cameo by Andrea Bocelli.

“Tempo” the new single by Matteo Bocelli

Released in English and Spanish, with a verse in Italian, the incredible summer track “Tempo” was written by Matteo Bocelli, with Ido Zmishlany, Nolan Sipe and Max Wolfgang, and produced by Ido Zmishlany. The song is a brilliant and vibrant melody, that will be included on Matteo Bocelli’s debut album, coming in 2023, for Capitol Records.