President Trump asked for it and he got it. Sort of.
Last December, as he was rolling out his administration’s new fuel economy rules, Trump mentioned that he’d seen microcars in Japan that he’d like to see sold in the U.S.
“They have a very small car sort of like the Beetle used to be with the Volkswagen, Trump said. “They’re very small, they’re really cute and I said ‘how would that do in this country?’ And everyone seems to think good, but you’re not allowed to build them, and I’ve authorized the [Transportation] secretary to immediately approve the production of those cars.”
He was likely referring to Japan’s kei cars, which are street legal vehicles with 63 hp 660 cc engines that don’t meet U.S. safety regulations as currently built. A few days later, Stellantis announced that it would start selling the similarly sized Fiat Topolino in the U.S. this year, and a shipment of the cars just arrived from Morocco, where it is built, and are on the way to showrooms.
The $13,995 (plus $990 destination fee) Topolino isn’t exactly a kei car, however. It is sold in Europe as a quadricycle with a restricted top speed of 28 mph and will be marketed in the U.S. as an off-street vehicle.
The two-seat cars will ship with an 8 hp motor, a top speed of 19 mph and a 46-mile driving range, but a Low Speed Vehicle kit will also be available that raises the top speed to 25 mph and adds a rearview mirror, backup camera and pedestrian alert system that makes it street legal on local roads in municipalities with laws that allow for neighborhood electric vehicles.
Fiat is offering it as either a standard hardtop coupe with a glass roof or a Dolcevita version with ropes in place of doors and a fabric rollback roof. It doesn’t have climate control, but it does have a window defroster, wipers, USB-C charger and a rear luggage rack.
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It comes in any color you want, as long as its Verde Vita green and will be largely marketed toward beach towns and resort communities and seems perfect for Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach.
As for the authentic kei cars, which start below $10,000 in Japan, there’s nothing stopping automakers from federalizing them for U.S. sale, but without emissions and safety waivers, which don’t appear to be in the cards, they would require updates that would push the price much closer to conventionally sized vehicles.
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