The award for 2023’s cutest car looks almost certain to go to Fiat with the unveiling of its latest model – and it will also relaunch one of the brand’s most iconic nameplates from decades ago.
Topolino, a badge not seen on a new Fiat for almost 70 years, will officially return on a new all-electric vehicle.
Reborn as a doorless retro quadricycle with only two seats, it will go toe-to-toe with Citroen’s Ami as a city-only machine aimed predominantly at young drivers with – and without – a full licence.
However, Britons wanting to get their hands on one will be left disappointed… as it’s not expected to be sold in the UK.
Fiat has already electrified its 500 as part of its plans to switch exclusively to battery power before the end of the decade.
In fact, it is only producing the new version of the popular city car (as well as the hotter Abarth 500) with a zero-emission drivetrain as part of the company’s efforts to electrify its entire model range in Europe by 2027.
The return of the Topolino (which translates to ‘baby mouse’) will be the Italian brand’s second EV and is a smaller option to the 500.
However, it’s technically not a car.
Like the Citroen it goes up against, it instead qualifies as a ‘light quadricycle’.
That means it has a very limited top speed and drivers as young as 16 with only an ‘AM’ moped licence could – in theory – legally drive one on UK roads.
In other countries such as France, the minimum age to get behind the wheel of this category of vehicle is even younger.
This is because light quadricycles qualify as ‘sans permis’ vehicles across the Channel, meaning you don’t need a licence at all – just a basic road safety certificate that can be acquired by teens as young as 14.
Fiat bosses hope its funky design will ‘encapsulate the coolness’ of the classic 500 to kick-start demand.
The car Fiat unveiled to announce the model’s return even echoes the original, featuring the same teal colour available when the first ‘Cinquecento’ hit showrooms in 1957 as the replacement for the Topolino, which paved the way for the 500’s 19-year production run between 1936 and 1955.
Other features of the new model also hark back to the beach-ready Jolly variant of the iconic 500. This includes a brown cloth retractable roof, cream leather interior, striped dashboard topper, chrome-surround oval lamps and the absence of doors.
In their place is a thick rope that hooks across the doorframe, although it will provide little in terms of crash protection.
However, the car’s oddball quadricycle classification means it doesn’t need the same structural rigidity and passenger shielding capabilities that proper cars do in order to make it into dealers in 2023.
It’s for this same reason that it will also have a capped top speed below 30mph.
Video: Citroen shows its new electric car Ami ideal for city slickers
An alternative to Citroen’s Ami
The Topolino will be built on the same platform as Citroen’s Ami. Like Fiat, the French firm is owned by the Stellantis Group.
Prices for the Ami start from £8,095 and go all the way up to £10,495 for its limited-edition doorless Ami Buggy.
While unconfirmed, it’s very likely the Topolino will feature the same 6kW electric motor and a 5.5kWh battery setup, delivering a top speed of 28mph and full-charge range of 46 miles.
However, shaving some weight by losing the doors might well bump up the distance between charges closer to 50 miles.
Fiat is launching the vehicle as its ‘new sustainable urban mobility solution’, although it has not said when it will go on sale.
In a brief statement, the firm continued: ‘The all-electric Fiat Topolino quadricycle will expand urban electric mobility and bring the optimism of its namesake to an accessible, all-electric version that encapsulates the coolness of the Fiat 500.
‘The Topolino brings a new notion of la dolce vita to the city streets, designed for a wide audience, including younger customers, families and city lovers – aligned with Fiat’s mission of providing urban sustainable mobility solutions that are accessible to everyone.
‘This renowned and evocative name immediately calls the first Fiat 500 to mind – the iconic car that revolutionised the concept of the motor vehicle, produced by Fiat from 1936 to 1955, commonly known as Topolino.’
However, the loveable and diminutive EV is not expected to be sold in the UK. With Britain’s colder climates, a doorless city car might not be suitable.
But it would unquestionably turn heads on the occasional sprint to the supermarket for a pint of milk.
We’ll keep you updated with more information on its availability, price and likelihood of whether it will appear on UK roads when more details are released.
Video: Citroen unveil doorless beach buggy designed for adventure
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Source: dailymail
