Fiat's $15,000 Topolino microcar trial sells out most of its 300 US units

Fiat shipped 300 of its Topolino electric microcars to US dealers as a trial, and most of them have already been sold, according to Andrew Waterhouse, head of Fiat North America. The two-seat low-speed vehicle starts at about $14,985 before a $295 paint option and is capped at 25 mph.

Waterhouse told Yahoo Finance the rollout is deliberately cautious. "The original shipment was 300 units, the majority of those have already been sold," he said, describing the programme as "kind of an experiment" rather than a mass-market launch.

Dolce Vita leads demand

Sixty percent of US buyers chose the open-air Dolce Vita version, which comes without doors or a roof. Waterhouse said that trim suits resort and vacation settings: "The Dolce Vita suits a beach town, gated community resort type experience where you want the open air".

The rest of the range includes a standard model with full doors and an Open Air version with a retractable fabric roof and rope doors. Waterhouse suggested the closed car is the better choice for city dwellers who want to lock their belongings inside.

The golf cart comparison is hard to avoid at this size and price, but Waterhouse argued buyers are not treating it that way. "Those people are not using golf carts to play golf," he said. "They are using them to drive around, to go to lunch, to drive to the pool, drive to the beach". That framing matters: Fiat is testing whether Americans will pay new-car money for a vehicle that behaves like a neighbourhood runabout rather than a conventional car.

Low-speed vehicle rules set the limits

The Topolino qualifies as a low-speed vehicle under FMVSS No. 500, the federal standard covering four-wheeled vehicles capable of more than 20 mph but no more than 25 mph. That classification dictates its equipment and keeps it out of normal passenger car rules.

For 2027, Fiat raised the car's top speed to the full 25 mph, the threshold needed to meet that federal definition. The LSV-compliant update adds federally required lighting, reflectors, mirrors and a parking brake, plus a windshield and seat belts to help satisfy state rules. Fiat offers a no-cost kit to bring 2026 models up to the same specification.

The 2027 Topolino carries a 5.4-kWh battery with a claimed 46 miles of range, a 6-kW motor and a charge time of four to five hours on a standard 110-volt outlet. Seating is limited to two.

Those figures only work within low-speed vehicle rules, which generally keep such cars on lower-speed local streets. Specific limits are set by each state rather than by a single federal cap, which is why Fiat is targeting resort communities, gated neighbourhoods and dense urban blocks rather than open highways. For drivers, the practical question is not range but where the car is legally allowed to go.

A cautious experiment, not a national launch

Fiat has not announced a full national rollout of the Topolino, and the 300-unit shipment is being treated as a test of US appetite rather than a permanent volume model. The clearance rate suggests there is demand in the right postcodes, but the model's appeal remains tied to the low-speed rules that confine it to local roads.

The Topolino is not a replacement for a conventional car, and Fiat is not pitching it as one. It is a second or third vehicle for buyers who already have somewhere to park it and short, slow trips to make.

Bentley retailers are now offering a factory-backed infotainment retrofit for second-generation Continental GT, Continental GT Convertible and Flying Spur models built between 2012 and 2019, adding wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to cars now up to a decade old.

The upgrade is fitted through the dealer network rather than delivered as a software update, and it replaces both the original console screen and the physical climate controls with a single touchscreen. Pricing has not been published, so owners will need a quote from their retailer to know what the swap costs for their car.

Which cars can get the retrofit

The retrofit covers second-generation cars from the 2012 to 2019 model years. That window takes in the Continental GT and GT Convertible from their 2012 redesign through 2017, and the Flying Spur from its 2014 debut through 2019.

Bentley designed the replacement screen to match the design language of its current lineup, so the cabin does not look like it is wearing a dealer-fit accessory. The brand has already reworked connectivity in newer interior concepts and detailed how passenger-facing displays work on current models; this retrofit is the first sanctioned route back into cars already a decade old.

Screen, phone mirroring and navigation

The centrepiece is a 9.7-inch touchscreen with 2K resolution. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto run wirelessly over Bluetooth or through a wired USB-A port in the console, which also doubles as a phone charger. Calls, contacts and media run through the touchscreen or voice commands, and bass, treble and balance can be tuned from the same interface.

The radio is upgraded too, with improved DAB+ where these cars previously had DAB, plus FM, AM and SiriusXM for the US market. Navigation has been rebuilt from scratch with updated mapping, 2D and 3D route guidance, points of interest and speed-limit displays, and Bentley says the system can accept future map updates.

The catch: the climate dials go

The physical heater knobs are removed permanently and climate settings move into the touchscreen alongside everything else. That leaves the centre console noticeably cleaner, but anyone who valued the tactile feel of the factory-original layout loses it in exchange for the modern features.

For drivers weighing up whether to keep an older Continental GT or Flying Spur, the retrofit is the cheaper path to modern phone mirroring and navigation than trading in, provided the dealer quote lands on the right side of the car's value. The loss of physical climate controls is the one part of the package buyers cannot undo later.