FIAT has a rich history when it comes to urban vehicles. Its heyday in the second half of the 20th century had a lot to do with perfectly interpreting the mobility needs of the middle class, with urban vehicles of reduced dimensions, low consumption and great practicality.
One of the vehicles that left its name on fire in the history of the brand and the industry was the FIAT 500.also nicknamed as Fito, Fitito or more commonly topolino, which is the name given to the famous Mickey Mouse in Italy. The 500 as such began production in 1935, but the most popular version was its new generation, manufactured between 1957 and 1975, with almost 4 million units produced.
The version produced between 1950 and 1955 shares asphalt with the new generation of the 500 launched in 1957.
FIAT already has a modernized version of the 500 for a long time, of which it has even launched electric versions. But now, it goes one step further in its quest to touch nostalgia and launches the Topolino, an electric and completely urban microcar (which is actually legally a quadricycle), twinned with another model of the Stellantis Group, the Citroën Ami.
The FIAT Topolino EV is inspired by the original Topolino and adopts round headlights, a soft top, retro-style wheel covers, strips off the side windows and features fancy ropes instead of doors. It also repeats part of the upholstery on the dashboard, as well as the light-colored padding on the seats.
The original FIAT 500 Topolino.
The brand presented the model but did not want to go into technical details, but we can assume that it will share a motorization with its Citroën brother, sharing the 8 HP electric motor and 5.5 kWh lithium-ion battery, which allows a limited maximum speed of 45 km/h and a range of 70 km. It sounds little, but for the city it is quite good and if we compare it with an electric skateboard, here we have a roof and much more style.
These specifications are not a coincidence either, in Europe this vehicle would not be classified as a car, but as a quad, so In some countries of the Old Continent adolescents can legally drive heavy quadricycles from the age of 14 or 16, depending on local legislation.
The FIAT Topolino is aimed at a very young audience, but with a good awareness of the glorious past of the brand. Its commercial launch is imminent and we will surely have more details of its specifications, prices and markets where it will be marketed shortly.
