Fiat ‘little mouse’ micro car nibbles at US golf-cart market

A tiny Italian electric vehicle that looks like it’s straight out of the Cars movie franchise is pushing into America’s growing $1 billion golf-cart market.

The 2.5-meter (8-foot) Fiat Topolino generated a mixture of adulation, curiosity and skepticism when it showed up in the US this summer, and immediately caught the eye of some of the nation’s roughly 2.3 million golf-cart drivers.

Fiat enthusiast Miguel Bartoli, 59, saw the Topolino’s close cousin, the Citroën Ami, in Rome several years ago. He pounced early, calling dealerships in Florida the day Fiat posted a video of the Topolino arriving stateside by boat. Both micro EVs, also known as quadricycles, are brands of European carmaker Stellantis NV.

Bartoli lives in a self-contained community in eastern Florida where most residents get around by cart even if, like him, they don’t play golf.

His $15 000 Topolino Dolce Vita with rope doors and a soft-top roof has attracted lots of interest in the short time he’s been driving it.

“I have already had people literally wave me down,” Bartoli said by telephone.

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The design of the Topolino (Italian for both “little mouse” and Mickey Mouse) recalls the Fiat 500 Nuova from the late 1950s, which was also just under 3 meters in length and a pioneering city car.

Fiat partner Motori & Co offers several custom versions of the Topolino, including a “Gran Premio” version with racing stripes, perhaps a surprising design choice for a vehicle that maxes out at just 25 miles (40 kilometers) per hour.

Fiat initially shipped about 300 units to the US. Although the official launch is tentatively set for October, brand chief executive Olivier François said requests from American dealerships convinced him to make the vehicle available pre-launch.

Units being sold now top out at 19 mph and will need a conversion kit, available later this year, to unlock the 25 mph top speed and qualify as street-legal.

Topolino US sales

In Florida, Alfa Romeo Fiat of Daytona sold its first six Topolinos immediately. In Minnesota, Schmelz Countryside Alfa Romeo and Fiat sold five before they hit the lot. Golling Alfa Romeo Fiat in Michigan has sold 10 of its 14 and already ordered another nine.

While dealers and owners say the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, opinions are divided online. Some question the appeal of a vehicle that lacks air conditioning and safety features included with most cars.

As a low-speed vehicle in the US and L-category vehicle in Europe, the Topolino isn’t subject to standard crash tests, and while it does have seatbelts, it lacks other elements like airbags or a crumple zone. Weight and size are also a concern.

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“In an impact where the difference in mass is very high, the light vehicle will be disadvantaged,” said Michelangelo-Santo Gulino, an engineering professor at the University of Florence and one of the co-authors of a recent study on micro car safety.

Before turning to the US, Stellantis carved out a dominant position in European quadricycle sales, especially in France and Italy, the continent’s two biggest markets.

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When Stellantis introduced the battery-powered Ami in 2020, French brands Ligier and Aixam had controlled the market for decades, according to Jean Ambert, CEO of Smart Mobility Lab, a Paris-based consultancy.

The Ami marked a turning point in the development of the sector, accelerating the transition from combustion engines to electric and helping Stellantis overtake Ligier and Aixam.

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The Topolino, which can travel 46 miles on its battery and takes five hours to recharge on a regular outlet, was unveiled in 2023.

Some European countries allow quadricycles to be driven with a category AM license, which also applies to mopeds and scooters, or even no license at all, making them popular with city-dwellers and teenagers.

In the US, drivers will need a license to operate the Topolino on public roads, immediately eliminating the large potential market of younger people and urbanites without a full license.

Interest so far has been concentrated among wealthier customers, especially those looking for golf-cart alternatives, according to dealers. The Topolino’s price is below that of luxury carts from brands like Garia.

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Buyers tend to be affluent, several dealers said, and the Topolino is usually a second or third vehicle. The target audience is reflected in locations for the “TopoTour”, including the Hamptons and Montauk in New York and Coral Gables in Florida.

Like Bartoli, the buyer in Florida, “a lot of these customers live in small communities,” according to Jared Smith, a Florida dealer.

“This is just someone who wants to maybe go to the grocery store or something and not have to get in a real car, and they just want something a little different than what everyone else has.”

Beyond gated communities, country clubs, resorts and campuses, Fiat brand CEO François sees potential for the Topolino in urban mobility.

While its US debut is, ultimately, an experiment, and Fiat neither needs nor expects high-volume sales, he predicted they could surprise on the upside.

“The car is its best social-media manager,” François said. “It puts a big smile on everyone’s face.”

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