Fiat's Topolino is available to order in the US. It's $14,985 after destination.The launch edition will be restricted to private roads.It enters a US auto market that's starting to get creative about its affordability problem.Fiat's tiniest EV is officially rolling into the US — but you're more likely to confuse it with a golf cart than with a Smart Car.The Topolino, Fiat's two-seater with circular headlights and the automotive vibes of a lap dog, has been on sale in Europe since 2023. It's now available to order in the US, with a starting price of $13,995. After a $990 destination charge, it'll cost $14,985.AdvertisementAdvertisementIt's less than 100 inches long, has 8 horsepower and a top speed of 19 mph at launch, weighs a little over 1,000 pounds, and has an estimated 46 miles of range. The launch version is restricted to private property, but Fiat plans to offer a no-cost conversion kit this fall that would raise its top speed to 25 mph and make it street-legal as a low-speed vehicle.The vision: a vehicle for short trips around urban centers, private communities, resorts, yacht clubs, and other places where "real car" capabilities are not necessarily the point.Fiat's Topolino will test a space that has remained relatively empty in the US auto industry: new vehicles with genuinely low sticker prices.CarGurus shared data with Business Insider showing that the average transaction price for a new vehicle was $50,900 this spring, up 3.3% since December.AdvertisementAdvertisementThat comes as Americans keep scooping up high-priced cars. The $122,000 Cadillac Escalade and the $84,000 Toyota Sequoia both spend an average of 30 days on car lots before a driver buys them, CarGurus said. A healthy average for the industry is 60 days.Only 10 cars on US dealership lots carry a starting price under $25,000, Cox Automotive previously told Business Insider. Slate, an electric vehicle startup backed by Jeff Bezos, will join that list with a no-frills pickup truck starting at $24,950 later this year.President Donald Trump has also talked up tiny cars as one possible answer to that affordability problem. After a trip to Japan in December, Trump praised the country's small Kei cars as "very cute" and "beautiful," and said he wanted American automakers to explore building them.The Topolino is not a Japanese Kei car, but it fits into the same broader conversation: Americans are being squeezed by expensive vehicles, while automakers and regulators are rethinking whether smaller, cheaper models have a place in the US.AdvertisementAdvertisementFor Fiat, the launch could also bring some attention to a brand that has struggled to find US buyers. Fiat's current US lineup only includes the 500e. By the end of June, the company had reported selling only 228 units to Americans this year, down 75% from last year.One thing US buyers won't get at launch is one of the Topolino's quirkiest overseas accessories: a beach-style shower head. A Stellantis spokesperson told Business Insider that the feature is not part of the initial US launch, though Fiat US is exploring ways to offer an accessory like it later through its partnership with Motori & Customs.If you enjoyed this story, be sure to follow Business Insider on Yahoo.
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