Check out this recent headline from Car and Driver …

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The $15k price tag may be working for clickbait, but no self-respecting car owner in the U.S. could possibly take this seriously after diving into the details.

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Yes, the Fiat Topolino will only set you back by about $15k.  And for that, you get an electric microcar with a range of 46 miles and a top speed of 25 mpg.  It’s not street legal, but we’re told a conversion kit will be available later in the year, allowing you to drive this vehicle on public roads.

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Truth is, Fiat has never taken EVs seriously. Its first big move into EVs in the United States was the Fiat 500 EV.  And it was a dismal failure.  Launched in 2024 at a cost of around $34,000, the Fiat 500 EV offered consumers a very small electric car with an EPA-estimated range of 149 miles.  Real-world testing only clocked in at around 120 miles, though, which has proven to be less than ideal for most Americans.  This, despite the daily commute for U.S. drivers averaging around 42 miles.

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Indeed, anything less than a real-world range of 200 miles is a tough sell.

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The Fiat 500 EV was pulled shortly after its release, as the company couldn’t sell enough to justify continued production.  How the CEO and management teams of one of the biggest car companies in the world, Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), which owns Fiat, couldn’t figure out that this EV would be a dud is beyond me.  But what’s even more confusing is why the company is now boasting a cheap EV that can’t even be driven on public roads.

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Meanwhile, in China, they’re continuing to make most legacy automakers look about as relevant as a rotary phone in a Blockbuster video store.

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This is the future

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Chinese EV maker Xiaomi recently unveiled the SkyNomad N90, the first vehicle in its new SkyNomad lineup and the company's first extended-range electric vehicle (EREV). But the fact that it's electric isn’t the interesting part.

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It’s how it was designed.  Check it out …

This, dear reader, is the future.

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Not only does the N90 deliver a range in excess of 900 miles, but it does so while allowing you to ride in superior comfort. CEO Lei Jun said the company is positioning SkyNomad as a “living space” built for families, long road trips, and camping.

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Of course, it’s not fair to compare the new Fiat Topolino to the Xiaomi SkyNomad N90.  While no price has been released yet for the SkyNomad N90, I can assure you it’ll set you back a lot more than $15k.  But I can also assure you that the Fiat Topolino will be an even bigger failure than the Fiat 500 EV.

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To date, Fiat has sold roughly 200,000 Fiat 500 EVs worldwide.  That’s barely an accounting error for a company as big as Stellantis. Meanwhile, over roughly the same period, Xiaomi delivered more than 400,000 EVs.

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As a car company, Xiaomi has only been around for about six years. Fiat is 127 years old.

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Xiaomi is getting ready to release this …

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While Fiat is getting ready to release this …

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Let that marinate.

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