“Fiat comes with its own variant of the Opel Rocks-e”
Stellantis expects a lot from its Citroën Ami and Opel Rocks-e electric mini-twins. It is therefore not surprising that the city car is passed on to another brand: Fiat.
“There will be no smaller electric cars within Stellantis than the B segment,” Uwe Hochschurtz, Stellantis operational director in Europe, told Autovisie. In other words: Opel Corsa-e and Peugeot e-208 are the lower limit and will remain so.
A segment no longer profitable
Among other things, due to ever stricter European safety regulations, it is no longer worthwhile for manufacturers to develop compact A-segmenters. For example, Citroën and Peugeot said goodbye to the C1 and 108 a few years ago.
According to Hochschurtz, the new stars in the city are the Citroën Ami and the Opel Rocks-e. So no real cars, but small electric cars that you can drive from the age of sixteen if you have a moped driver’s license.
The Opel Rocks-e is also available as a Fiat
In fact, the Stellantis CEO calls city carts like the Ami and Rocks-e “revolutionary”. In an interview with Autovisie, he almost made a mistake and only conceals that the tiny Citroën and Opel are also popular with other Stellantis brands.
In the subsequent conversation between Hochschutz and a spokesman, one hears between the lines that there will be a Fiat version of Ami and Rocks-e in the future, which is said to be called Topolino. It is not said, but the arrows point very clearly in that direction. Dealers confirmed to Automotive News earlier this year that it was coming.
Fiat needs new models
And why not. Fiat is traditionally known for its compact hatchbacks and urgently needs new models. The Italian manufacturer’s success today is mainly based on the 500 and the Panda. In the Netherlands the only other models are the Tipo and the 500X.
The merger between Groupe PSA (Citroën, DS, Opel and Peugeot) and Fiat-Chrysler is particularly good for the Italian brands. They have been suffering from outdated models and a lack of continuity in the delivery program for years. Under Stellantis, they get a much-needed cash injection.