If you are looking for proof of which brands matter most these days in Stellantis, look no further than the recent push by Fiat of their Topolino.
Now with Fiat being one of the 4 brands that Stellantis is backing with development funding (the others being Jeep, Peugeot and RAM), and the CEO of Stellantis, Antonio Filosa having strong Italian roots, Fiat has the taken the innovation introduced by Citroën in the micro car market and is running with that to be the Stellantis brand that will lead the company’s effort to offer simplicity and accessibility for today’s world.
Fiat announced this week that it is giving its the Topolino a sportier personality with a new special edition — The Topolino Sport with a more aggressive appearance built from a combination of new exterior colors, racing stripes, matte-black wheels, black headlight surrounds, and unique Sport badging.
Additional Topolino variants have been produced, including a Dolce Vita model, a Coral color edition, and a Vilebrequin Collector’s Edition.
Of course, those that know Citroën, realize that Topolino is basically an electric Citroën Ami, first shown in concept form back in 2019 for Citroën’s 100th anniversary, and introduced as a production model in 2020.
It was Citroën that first stated their mandate to lead in small car mobility with electric mobility for a new generation with the Ami Electric.
Last year the Topolino became the European sales leader in the quadricycle segment, beating the Ami — an achievement that must be disheartening to Citroën designers and engineers who created the Ami and while Citroën has introduced a few variations based on the Ami, they now see Fiat fitting a rounded front and back end to it and being given the means to add a swath of colours along with the marketing muscle to promote it as a Topolino.
Fiat is also touting a concept that they claim to be the evolution of the Multipla from the 1950s. Yet what they are showing so far seems to be a stretched Ami to accommodate 2 more people in the rear.
Fiat describes their modern Multipla, that they are calling Mutiplina, as “the missing link between a Topolino and a car,” and that it will have “a layout that maximizes space efficiency through an intelligent, human-centric architecture.” Hmmm — sound familiar?
In production form, to make the Mutiplina a “real automobile” rather than a speed limited quadricycle like the Ami/Topolino, more compliant suspension and a more powerful electric motor will be required, yet one can bet that the platform and power plant that will be required will be shared with Citroën.
The Ami and Topolino are L6e-class light quadricycles, which limits motor output to 8 horsepower and top speed to 45 km/hr (28 mph), the Multiplina will be an L7e heavy quadricycle, providing up to 20 hp and to achieve 100 km/hr (just over 60 mph). With a larger battery it should also have a notably longer range than the Ami and Topolino — 75 kms (about 46 miles).
Meanwhile Citroën CEO Xavier Chardon has announced that they are working on a modernized 2CV offering, defining their directive in the new 2CV to be a desirable iteration of form following function;
“To put people on wheels, to electrify the wheels, and make the offer accessible, affordable and enjoyable. Obviously, there’s clear inspiration from the original model, but beyond the design it’s an inspiration of keeping something that’s essential, affordable.”
But just how far will they be able to go with that before we see a Fiat-badged version of the 2CV that adheres to the virtually identical mandate of the Mutiplina?
In production form, to create a “real automobile” offering rather than a speed-limited quadricycle like the Ami/Topolino, will require more compliant suspension and a more powerful electric motor. One can bet that a common platform and power-train will be shared between the two.
Xavier Chardon has acknowledged a “co-operative” effort with Fiat;
“We are developing a new platform and Fiat is also onboard, so it’ll be two brands – Citroën and Fiat – but it’s too early to give away too many details.”
Citroën will exist, at least for now, to sell a re-badged Fiat of Citroën origin to a market in France where many people embrace Citroën—and refrain from buying Fiat vehicles. There are still 14 brands in Stellantis, but commonality and the cost of operating them all are likely to force a consolidation battle in which it appears Fiat will emerge victorious over Citroën.
Whatever the outcome, some Stellantis models with Citroën commonality that are making their way to the U.S. Fiat is bringing the Topolino to the United States. You can order one online now, but consider the restrictions…
The quadricycle category that makes the Topolino legal in Europe does not exist as a federal vehicle classification in the United States. Low-Speed Vehicle (LSV) category in the U.S. which the NHTSA defines as a four-wheeled motor vehicle with a top speed between 20 and 25 mph is were the Topolino might be legit, however its 28 mph top speed puts it just above the maximum in the LSV category.
LSVs are street-legal in most states on roads posted at 35 mph or under. Whether the Topolino qualifies as an LSV in a given state depends on how that state interprets the federal baseline. Some states have adopted the federal LSV standard directly; others have additional restrictions or don’t recognize the category at all for public-road use. A handful of states limit LSVs to specific planned communities or private roads entirely.
Surely the Multiplina will follow once it reaches production, and with more power it should be more appealing to U.S. customers.