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Just days after President Donald Trump declared tiny cars would make new vehicles more affordable (as if affordability had nothing to do with tariffs imposed by the White House earlier this year), one of the smallest electric cars for sale in Europe is set to appear Stateside next year.
Fiat USA announced on Monday that it would import the all-electric Topolino to the U.S. starting next year. While exact federal specifications haven’t been detailed yet, the Topolino uses an 8-horsepower, 6-kilowatt electric motor with a top speed of 28 mph and a roughly 40-mile driving range.
It accommodates an adult driver somewhat comfortably on what’s basically a plastic seat, and two adults somewhat less comfortably because of the car’s narrowness, but at least it has conveniences that a golf cart doesn’t normally have, such as doors, windows, a Bluetooth speaker, and a smartphone dock for directions.
Stellantis has been strongly hinting at bringing the Topolino to the U.S. since it went on sale in some European countries in 2023, with the car making the rounds at auto shows across the country. While Fiat had some early success with its reintroduction in the early 2010s after it gained a controlling share of the former Chrysler Group, sales collapsed with lower fuel prices and an aging lineup. Its only model available in the U.S. now is the slow-selling, all-electric 500e small hatchback that has been adversely affected by the end of EV tax incentives, tariffs, and a relatively high price given its roughly 150-mile range.
While the 500e is an actual car with a 94-mph top speed, the Topolino would be road legal only on surface streets, and it only barely meets that requirement. Drivers would still need to have a valid license and registration to operate it, unlike in some countries, such as France, where it skirts some traditional motor vehicle regulations.
Depending on what it costs when the Morrocco-built car lands here, the Topolino could find a niche among people in cities with very tight parking, a need for more than two vehicles, or people who’d like to think they’re on a European vacation while they’re driving to a Safeway.
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Source: Gizmodo