Fiat’s New Car Makes Zero Sense For American Roads (You Wouldn’t Dare Drive It Here)

Stellantis brand Fiat recently announced the development of a new micromobility concept — The Fiat Multiplina, which is shown above. According to Olivier Francois, FIAT CEO and Stellantis Global CMO, the Multiplina represents Fiat’s attempt to create, “…a complete ecosystem for the cities of tomorrow: joyful, ingenious, sustainable, and unmistakably FIAT.”

The Multiplina concept, in Fiat’s words, is a, “…a bold, socially relevant reinterpretation of the legendary 1956 Fiat 600 Multipla,” whose later incarnation was one of the worst-looking cars from the 1990s we wouldn’t be caught driving today. Fiat sees the Multiplina as “the missing link” between a normally-sized car and the diminutive Topolino, Fiat’s adorably tiny EV that’s finally coming to the United States.

One significant difference between the Topolino and the Fiat Multiplina concept is that the Multiplina will seat four people, compared to the maximum of two that can fit into the Topolino. Like the Topolino, the Multiplina is also an electric vehicle, which happens to be about the size of the original, much smaller version of the Fiat 500 that was made back in the 1950s. That would make the Multiplina approximately 10 feet long. The Multiplina will likely enter production in 2028, with both a range and a top speed that should be significantly higher than those of the Topolino, which has a 27-mile range and a top speed of 28 mph. While the Multiplina is currently just a concept and unlikely to be imported to the U.S., it should be noted that the much smaller Topolino will be coming to America.

A recent Instagram post by Fiat showed blurred Topolino vehicles driving off of a car carrier ship, with the statement, “Fresh off the boat.” This means that the initial load of Topolinos have arrived in the U.S. and are on their way to Fiat dealers.

While the Topolino is certainly cute, it is important to note that it will have severe speed and range limits. This means that the Topolino will likely be classified as a Low-Speed Vehicle, which is limited to a top speed of 25 mph and is not permitted to travel on streets and highways that have posted limits over 35 mph. Low-Speed Vehicles must also have headlights, taillights, brake lights turn signals, mirrors, seat belts, and other required safety equipment. The Fiat Topolino appears to meet the LSV requirements.

In another development, Fiat recently announced the addition of a Fiat Topolino Sport Special Edition to the Topolino lineup, shown above. While there is no power increase beyond the standard Topolino’s eight horsepower, there are numerous sporty touches to the Sport Special Edition that include carbon-look vinyl accents for the interior, black mirror caps, flat black wheels, and racing stripes to complete the look. At this point, there is no word whether the Fiat Topolino Sport Special Edition will be sold in the U.S. While the Fiat Topolino is a welcome addition to the ranks of Low-Speed Vehicles, it is apparent that it will not do very much to boost the fortunes of Fiat, whose 500e is the EV with the worst range available.