Our Rides: The ‘Little Mouse’ is Coming to America

If you were at this year’s Twin Cities Auto Show back in January and happened to be near Camp Jeep in the Stellantis exhibit, you may have noticed a very small minty green vehicle. A cute little two-seater that would be fun to drive anywhere.

Except that you can’t. Not yet, at least.

The vehicle in question is called the Fiat Topolino. Apparently, it is coming to the U.S. sometime this year.

Before you get too excited, we should talk about what it really is.

The name Topolino means “little mouse” in Italian. It has quite a history, dating back to the original in 1936. The city car roamed European streets until 1955, when Fiat was developing the Cinquecento — commonly known as the 500. These cars were not only the smallest of their time, but they also served as basic transportation at a very affordable price. It also helped restart the Italian economy in the aftermath of World War II.

Flash forward to this new Topolino. It was co-developed within Stellantis as an urban mobility solution. It shares its platform and most of its body shell with the Citroen Ami. Both vehicles were developed as battery-electric city vehicles that are limited by speed and range. This vehicle made sense for personal mobility within cities, such as Paris, Milan, London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Madrid … you get the idea.

In Europe, the Topolino is classified as a quadracycle — not an automobile. Therefore, it is not beholden to stringent regulations on crash protection and occupant safety. When it arrives in the U.S., it will be classified as a low-speed vehicle. LSVs are required to be equipped with such equipment as seat belts, head and brake lights, mirrors, turn signals, a conforming windshield for protection, a backup camera and a parking brake.

This quadracycle, weighing around 1,050 pounds, is powered by a single six-kilowatt electric motor with a rated eight horsepower, fed by a small battery pack. The average range on the Topolino is 47 miles on a full charge. It is also limited to going no more than 28 mph.

The 128-inch-long Topolino only seats two people. It does not provide the practicality you expect in, say, a Smart Fortwo or a Scion iQ. A simple fabric storage band does the trick. Grocery shopping is best accomplished without a passenger, so you can load up their seat with your haul. Although there is a storage area across the top of the dashboard/bulkhead area locked down by two straps, almost like a satchel.

One version of the Topolino currently sold in parts of Europe does not come with any doors. The Dolcevita model shown at the Twin Cities Auto Show does seem a bit unsafe in most U.S. cities. You could possibly get away with this model at a resort or, maybe, Provincetown during one of our weeks there.

Not to worry, you can get a Topolino with doors. Doors with fold-down windows, that is.

How do they compare with other vehicles of this type? A company called GEM out of California has been offering electric low-speed vehicles that look like golf carts, but they are more classified to be street worthy. They offer models that can seat up to six people.

You could compare a Topolino to a golf cart. They seem to be more practical than the Fiat but are not classified as LSVs. Like some of the GEM models, golf carts can seat more than two people.

How about a Japanese keicar? In comparison, the Topolino is smaller in size and does not adhere to the regulations outlined in Japan for these vehicles.

Being a low-speed vehicle, you simply cannot take the Topolino on the highway. You can drive them on the street, but not above their maximum speed limit. The Topolino is better suited in urban locations, such as in Minneapolis, St. Paul and other Twin Cities communities with higher density and lower speed limits. You could get away with owning one in Rochester or St. Cloud — as long as it stays in town. Plus, you can park them on the street — depending on that neighborhood’s regulations.

Pricing has not been set at this time. The word is that we should expect them in Fiat showrooms sometime this year.

While there is a call for a wave of less expensive vehicles to offset the affordability crisis in the automotive industry, the Fiat Topolino is not exactly what everyone has in mind as a solution to this issue. However, there is a purpose for this quadracycle/LSV that could complement our lives. The Topolino could be a good personal mobility solution to help make our cities more livable.

Would you welcome a thoroughly modern “little mouse” into your garage? Or, at your favorite parking space out in front of your building? Is it the right accessory to match your fit? Only if Stellantis — and Fiat — deliver on their previous hints of bringing it here.