Fiat Topolino EV Available to Order in US Starting at $14,985 but Limited to Private Property

Fiat has made its Topolino electric vehicle available to order in the US market. The two-seater starts at $13,995 before destination and reaches $14,985 after the $990 charge, Business Insider reported. The vehicle measures less than 100 inches long, weighs a little over 1,000 pounds, and produces 8 horsepower.

It offers an estimated 46 miles of range and reaches a top speed of 19 mph in its launch configuration. The initial version is restricted to private property. Fiat plans to provide a no-cost conversion kit this fall that raises the top speed to 25 mph and qualifies the Topolino as a street-legal low-speed vehicle.

The kit will add a rearview mirror, backup camera, and pedestrian alert system. The launch occurs as the average new-vehicle transaction price reached $50,900 this spring, up 3.3 percent since December, according to CarGurus data cited by Business Insider. Only 10 models on US lots start below $25,000.

Slate, an electric-vehicle startup backed by Jeff Bezos, plans to introduce a pickup truck at $24,950 later this year. President Donald Trump praised Japan's small Kei cars as "very cute" and "beautiful" after a December trip to Japan and called on American automakers to explore similar vehicles. Fiat's current US lineup consists solely of the 500e.

The brand sold 228 vehicles through the end of June, down 75 percent from the same period last year. A beach-style shower-head accessory offered overseas will not be included at US launch, a Stellantis spokesperson told Business Insider.