Fiat is reviving a long-dead name with a fun and imaginative little car that will prowl around Europe. You might see the 2025 Fiat 500 Topolino later this year.

If you plan to take a trip to Europe or move there to stay, this new and tiny Fiat could become a car that you see everywhere and might even make use of yourself. The Topolino name dates back to the original models of this little Fiat car, which was introduced in 1936 and remained in production until 1955. During that time, more than half a million A, B, and C models were built, but it wasn’t until later that the rear-engined D models arrived.

The original model filled the Fiat need

Fiat offered prizes and notoriety to anyone capable of building a ca that would put the brand on the proverbial map. This was a daunting task. This car needed to be sporty, fun, and stylish, but also small and efficient. In pre-war Italy steel was expensive and gasoline was scarce, which suggested some serious limits for the car.

The original design, create by Dante Giacosa, came from a steel rectangle that was 6.5 feet long by 3.5 feet wide. This was the minimal amount of space he determined was necessary for two people, luggage, and the machinery to drive up to 50 mph. This small car had to have a ride quality that was at least equal to larger cars, which was a serious challenge as well.

The creation took the 1930s by storm with an engine placed low and in the chassis ahead of the front wheel centers, leaving enough room for four luggage bags in the rear when the sunroof was closed. This layout allowed the car to have a perfect 50/50 weight distribution. The biggest surprise was that this car used an actual car engine and not a converted motorcycle engine. When Giacosa was done, it had four cylinders and produced 13 horsepower, which was enough to send this car to speeds above 70 mph.

The nickname returns

The 2025 Fiat 500 Topolino is a new take on an old car. The original Topolino was the nickname given to the beach cars of the 1960s, which evolved from the small machine that Giacosa designed. This new tiny Fiat is an electric runabout that shouldn’t require a license or registration in some areas because of its diminutive size. This little car is based on the Citroen Ami and could have up to 47 miles of electric driving range and a top speed that’s slightly less than 28 mph.

The nickname Topolino suggests a small car that could be predictably adorable, and that’s exactly what we expect to find with the revived name. The new model will be a two-passenger pod that resembles the first version of the Fiat 500, which was built from 1936 until 1955. The name means “little mouse” in Italian, which makes perfect sense when you see the new version of the car.

Is it a car or not?

Fiat hasn’t provided many details about this new car, but we can gather from the Ami what it might be. The single image that Fiat shared gives the idea that this little car will be a cheerful model, but is it actually a car? The Ami is technically considered a quadricycle in Europe and the new Topolino will fall into the same category. This should mean it can be driven without a license in some countries.

The image shared shows that the new 2025 Fiat 500 Topolino will be different from the Ami in a few specific ways. The Topolino has a softer look, silver trim that looks like an old-school bumper, and silver circular elements around the headlights.

Great looks with nostalgic reminders

In reality, the new Topolino doesn’t resemble the early models of the Fiat 500 as much as it resembles the beach roaming Jollys that were popular in touristy coastal towns and came without doors. Still, the name comes from the first models of the 500, and its certainly a fitting name for the new models of this car.

The new 2025 Fiat 500 Topolino comes with retro-style white wheels, a striped pattern on the dashboard, and a canvas convertible top. The convertible top is a reminder of early days of the Fiat car. If this new Fiat features the same powertrain as the Citroen Ami, it will have a small electric battery pack that’s good enough to allow Europeans to ride around in city streets of many beach towns in style.