Stellantis to bring tiny Fiat car to U.S. following Trump remarks

DETROIT – Chrysler genitor Stellantis connected Monday announced it volition connection an all-electric tiny "car" called the Fiat Topolino successful the U.S.

The automaker did not denote timing for the vehicle, but Fiat CEO Olivier François confirmed plans to bring the conveyance to the market, with "more details to travel adjacent year."

Fiat's announcement comes little than a week aft President Donald Trump praised tiny "Kei" cars from Japan during a gathering astatine the White House with Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa and different U.S. lawmakers and automotive executives.

"They're precise small. They're truly cute," Trump said during the Wednesday meeting. "And I said, 'How would that bash successful this country?' And everyone seems to deliberation 'good,' but you're not allowed to physique them."

Trump said helium ordered U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to let tiny vehicles similar the Kei "micro" cars to beryllium built and driven successful the U.S. It's not needfully amerciable to nutrient specified cars successful America, but they person to conscionable American information standards, velocity requirements and different regulations.

A Stellantis spokeswoman said Fiat's announcement was unrelated to Trump's comments past week and that the automaker has been gauging lawsuit involvement for the Topolino astatine U.S. events specified arsenic car shows.

The Topolino, which translates to "little mouse" successful Italian, is really categorized as "an all-electric quadricycle" alternatively than a car, according to Stellantis. It has a apical velocity of astir 28 miles per hr and driving scope of up to 75 kilometers (less than 50 miles) connected a azygous charge. The conveyance is produced successful Morocco.

Small cars person historically not sold good successful the U.S.

The astir caller meaningful propulsion to merchantability tiny cars successful the U.S. occurred aft the Great Recession successful 2009 nether the Obama administration. Back then, Italian automaker Fiat was allowed to acquisition bankrupt automaker Chrysler, successful part, to assistance bring specified vehicles to the U.S.

Fiat and its tiny 500 metropolis car reentered the U.S. marketplace successful 2011 amid Fiat's takeover of Chrysler (both present owned by Stellantis).

In its archetypal afloat year successful 2012, Fiat sold 43,772 vehicles successful the U.S. Those income person since dwindled to astir 1,500 Fiat vehicles sold past twelvemonth successful the U.S.