- The Fiat Topolino electric microcar is officially heading to the United States.
- Olivier Francois, Fiat’s CEO, confirmed the move in Miami.
- The two-door, two-seater EV is less than 100 inches long, making it a great candidate for a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle.
Fiat sells just one car in the United States right now, the 500e electric city car, but the Italian’s American portfolio is about to double in size soon. That’s because the tiny Topolino, which is also an EV, will be officially sold stateside.
“The Fiat Topolino, our small, joyful, colorful car that is now everywhere in Europe, has made several appearances in the U.S. over the past year, including last month at the LA Auto Show, where it's creating tremendous excitement among consumers,” said Olivier Francois, Fiat CEO. “So much so that I’m happy to share that we’ll be bringing the Fiat Topolino to the U.S., with more details to come next year.”
The announcement comes after President Donald Trump praised Japan’s Kei cars, saying automakers should be allowed to build small vehicles in the U.S. However, a Stellantis spokesperson told CNBC that Fiat’s Topolino news is unrelated to Trump’s comments.
Revealed in 2023, the Fiat Topolino is a cute two-door, two-seater electric quadricycle based on the same underpinnings as the Citroen Ami and Opel Rocks Electric. It’s powered by a 5.4-kilowatt-hour battery that energizes a front-mounted electric motor developing just 8 horsepower (6 kilowatts). The battery can be fully charged in four hours by plugging directly into a 240-volt outlet, and the total range is 46 miles (75 kilometers) under the World Motorcycle Test Cycle.
Gallery: 2023 Fiat Topolino Dolcevita
Its top speed is 28 miles per hour (45 kilometers per hour), and it measures just 99.6 inches (2.54 meters) long, making it properly small, compared to the large SUVs and pickup trucks usually found on American streets.
In some European countries, the Fiat Topolino can be legally driven by people as young as 14, while other countries allow 16-year-olds to get behind the wheel of the cute, Moroccan-made EV. So, how does Fiat think a car so small can have a future on American roads?
We don’t know, as the company is keeping details under wraps until next year, but one logical guess is that the Topolino could be sold as a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV). It’s small, it’s slow, and it would look perfectly at home on the sandy streets of Miami or Los Angeles, where golf carts and other low-speed EVs are a common sight nowadays.
In Europe, the Topolino costs the equivalent of $11,500 (9,900 Euros) without incentives, but there’s no word on how much it would cost once it hits U.S. showrooms. Whatever the MSRP is, though, it’s hard to imagine the Topolino can make a difference when it comes to sales. Last year, the Italian automaker sold roughly 1,500 cars stateside, and a 40-mile EV is unlikely to change that.
