Fiat revives the Topolino in form of a fully electric tiny car
Fiat is reviving the name its iconic Fiat 500 was commonly running under. Yet, this time, Topolino designates an all-electric mini car, which may easily be the most petite electric Fiat in the range. It also looks likely to adopt the technology of two older sibling models in the Stellantis group.
Press photos reveal the Fiat in retro design, taking clues from the Citroën Ami and Opel Rocks-e and the Fiat 500 e. However, the technology is likely to be similar to that of the Ami and Rocks-e. Both mini EVs were launched as quads or light city vehicles designed to require no driving licence (although they do in the UK). With the Ami example, Citroën’s specced a 5.5 kWh battery with a range of around 46 miles or 75 kilometres. The maximum speed was 45 km/h, and the tiny EV started at prices around £8,000 or just under €10,000.
Fiat, however, has yet to announce more details on the market launch of the new Topolino and, most importantly, the price.
As for the new name, it is actually old. The first Fiat 500, produced from 1936 to 1955, was soon dubbed “Topolino” – in Italian, it is the name of Mickey Mouse but generally stands for the agility of small animals or cars now.
Fiat describes the new Topolino as bringing “a new conception of the dolce vita to the city streets”. According to the brand, the new quadricycle has also been designed for a broad audience, including the youngest customers, families and city lovers.
Still, while evoking the spirit of the Fiat 500, this Topolino is unlike the Fiat 500e – that one, now just running under the label New 500, is naturally a fully motorised electric car, however not precisely full-size perhaps. In our review, though, the Cinquecento easily outran the electric small car competition as it were in May 2021.
Back to today, or the future, Fiat says the new Topolino BEV perfectly aligned with its vision of “It’s only green when it’s green for all”. The company announced plans for full and immediate electrification in the UK reportedly about a year ago. In Europe, Stellantis has scheduled Fiat’s EV transition for 2027 in February 2022, after Fiat announced plans to go fully electric globally by 2030 a year earlier.
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