The newly unveiled Fiat Topolino is a well-disguised derivative of the highly entertaining Citroën Ami, an urban EV for two with minimal range, minimal comforts and maximum practicality (for very short trips). In its styling, the Topolino swaps city streets for the quayside, with an unashamedly nautical approach that draws on decades of association between the brand and the Italian Riviera.
Like the Ami, the Topolino will be offered with minimal options. There are two variants, a closed car with the same asymmetric door arrangement as the Ami, and an ‘open version’, the Dolcevita, which replaces the doors with ropes and features a roll-back cloth roof. There is a single colour, Verde Vita, just one wheel design, and a stripped-back interior that requires you to dock your smartphone for all connectivity and entertainment.
Citroën did a similar thing with the limited-edition My Ami Buggy, but Fiat has gone all-out on the heritage angle, tapping up five key players in the Italian pantheon of carefree luxury, Armani, Damiani, Maserati, San Lorenzo yachts and San Pellegrino, to create a video campaign where the little car is the star.
Tech specs are near identical to the Ami, with a tiny 2.53m footprint, top speed of 28mph (45km/h) and a range of around 47 miles. Visually, the car shrinks down the design language of the successful Fiat 500, which in turn was a brilliant distillation of the characteristics and appeal of the 1950s original. There are also nods to the company’s occasional forays into customisation, such as the Fiat 500 Jolly ‘Spiaggina’, a lucrative sideline in beach cars created in collaboration with Carrozzeria Ghia in the 1960s and pitched as land tenders for the era’s burgeoning yacht set.
‘Topolino’ was the name given to the original Fiat 500, built from 1936 to 1955. The name means ‘little mouse’, and it’s an apt title to revive for what will undoubtedly be the smallest and sweetest EV on the road when the new car is launched in 2024. Order books are open now.
Fiat Topolino, price tbc, Fiat.com
