Fiat and parent company Stellantis have found themselves in hot water again for allegedly violating the “Made in Italy” law, which either the Italian government apparently takes very seriously or Fiat is somehow just woefully unaware of the provisions in the strict law. A shipment containing dozens of Fiat Topolino EVs was blocked from entering the country because the Topolinos reportedly ran afoul of regulation by bearing Italian flags when they are, in fact, assembled in Morocco, per Automotive News.
Italy’s financial police and customs agents seized a total of 134 Fiat Topolino EVs at Tuscany’s Port of Livorno, as Italian newspaper La Repubblica reports. The daily cites members of the Italian authorities saying of the Topolinos, “…they are not Italian, they cannot display the tricolor on their side, they violate the law.” The tiny EVs are built across the Mediterranean in Morocco rather than in “Il Bel Paese,” one of Italy’s unofficial nicknames meaning the beautiful country. The Topolinos’ foreign assembly is clearly a cost-cutting measure, and Stellantis has said in the past that producing vehicles can knock thousands off the retail price of models such as the Alfa Romeo Junior née Milano, which required a name change because it was being produced in Poland.
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has been adamant about foreign production being necessary to lower the price of upcoming models and EVs so these can reach critical mass in Europe and enable carmakers in the EU to fend off the risk of cheap Chinese EVs overtaking the market.
Of course, the Italian government has taken exception to foreign production for a couple of reasons: the first is that Italy jealously guards the “Made in Italy” brand, which is reserved for products that are designed, manufactured, and packed in the country. There’s even a specific branch of the government that oversees infractions against the brand, as well as a national holiday held on the birthday of Leonardo da Vinci, April 15. The second reason is that Italy has invested millions of euros into Stellantis in the form of public endowments precisely so that the automaker can keep production in the country and avoid laying auto workers off.
David Turner is a globe-trotting journalist who brings a global perspective to our readers. With a commitment to shedding light on international events, he explores complex geopolitical issues, offering a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.