Stellantis $STLA ( ▲ 0.86% ) plans to start selling an all-electric small car in the U.S., a move that comes amid a lot of buzz around smaller cars, sparked by President Donald Trump.
The details: The EV, called the Fiat Topolino, is actually categorized as a “quadricycle,” underscoring how small the vehicle is compared to a more traditional compact by U.S. standards, reports Inside EVs.
The Topolino, which translates to “little mouse” in Italian—is a two-door, two-seater less than 100 inches long based on the same underpinnings as the Citroen Ami and Opel Rocks Electric.
Currently produced in Morocco, the Fiat EV has a top speed of roughly 28 miles per hour and a driving range of up to 75 kilometers (less than 50 miles) on a single charge.
In Europe, the Topolino costs the equivalent of $11,500 (9,900 euros) without incentives—but there’s been no word on how much the vehicle would cost in the U.S.
What they’re saying: “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 in a statement. “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.”
Why it matters: For dealers, the Topolino signals OEMs are testing ultra-small, low-speed EVs as a way to capture urban, first-time, and budget-focused buyers at a time when mainstream new-vehicle prices are hovering near $50,000.
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Between the lines: Though Stellantis says plans to sell the Topolino have been in the works, news of the company’s announcement comes amid Trump’s praise of Japan’s Kei cars, saying automakers should be allowed to build small vehicles in the U.S. However, small cars haven’t fared well with American consumers in the past, as detailed by Jalopnik.
According to Stephanie Brinley, Associate Director, AutoIntelligence at S&P Global Mobility, the best year for the microcar segment (which is the segment the Kei would fit in, was 2014 when 114,000 units were sold.
Sam Abuelsamid, VP Market Research at Telemetry, told Jalopnik that he estimates that an automaker would need to sell a minimum of 200,000 units of a Kei-like car to be successful in today’s market.
Abuelsamid said a company might be able to get by with lower annual sales if it adopts a personalization strategy similar to Slate’s pickups, which feature changeable wraps instead of exterior paint.
Bottom line: If Stellantis moves ahead with the Topolion, dealers should watch pricing, homologation, and distribution plans closely—and be ready with a clear use-case story (city runabout, campus car, second vehicle), while treating micro-EVs as an incremental opportunity rather than a replacement for core SUV and truck business.
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