- Fiat wants to build an Abarth Topolino variant.
- The hotter version is currently in the works to cater to younger buyers.
- Unfortunately, the US market may not make sense based on regulations.
Fiat just recently announced pricing for its tiny Topolino, which is now the most affordable new “car” in America at just $14,985 with destination. That low price comes with other low numbers: 8 horsepower, a 19 mph top speed, and a 46-mile range; basically a glorified golf cart you can drive on some public roads.
According to a recent report from Autocar, though, Fiat isn’t opposed to building a faster model. In reference to a potential Abarth version of the Topolino, Fiat CEO Olivier François said, “we’re working on it, and it may come. It would be a total hit.”
Fiat has not offered an Abarth model in the United States since the 2019 model year, but the sporty Italian sub-brand is alive and well in Europe. There are currently two all-electric Abarth models on sale there: the 500e and 600e, the latter of which is the most powerful Abarth ever built with up to 280 horsepower in the Competizione trim.
Europe has different driving laws than the US, classifying the Topolino as an L6 quadricycle and allowing 14-year-olds to drive it on public roads in countries such as France and Italy. Fiat believes an Abarth version would help it cater to these younger buyers. Head of Fiat / Abarth Europe, Gaetano Thorel, said:
‘We want to make an Abarth feeling for the Topolino, because we are still trying to boost selling it to young people. It’s amazing: Topolino is the most successful quadricycle in Italy, and if we’re being honest, we still don’t catch the heart of 16- and 17-year-olds. I want to gain their hearts, which is why we now have Topolino Sport. An Abarth Topolino could be another solution.’
While a more powerful, sportier-looking Topolino sounds like an instantly cool formula, we doubt it’s something that would be considered for the US market. Bringing the Topolino to the US was likely a huge challenge already for Fiat, and we can’t imagine that adding power or making it more expensive would help the business case.
The Topolino will be sold as a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV), meaning it can only operate on roads with a 35 mph speed limit or less, and only cross highways with limits of 50 mph or less. Certain states impose other restrictions on NEVs, which operate as street-legal golf carts.
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Source: Fiat
Motor1’s Take: Any improvements to power would push the Topolino over its restrictions as a NEV, so Fiat has very little to work with here. To be classified as a NEV, it must not be able to exceed 25 mph, meaning an Abarth version can only go six mph quicker than the standard version. Fiat already has Topolino variants in Europe that do 28 mph, so an Abarth version could be much faster, but it would need to be slowed down for the American market. Who wants that?
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