Italy's financial police have seized dozens of Fiat Topolinos flying the national flag, with troops actually converging on Morocco in the latest spat between Giorgia Meloni's government and the automaker.
The vehicles were stopped at the port of Livorno on suspicion of violating so-called “Made in Italy” laws, which had already forced Stellantis to rebrand its Alfa Romeo Milano sports cars as Junior. The seizure was first reported by Italian media such as La Repubblica, and a spokesperson for Stellantis confirmed the seizure.
The Italian government is at odds with Stellantis as it moves ahead with plans to cut jobs in the country and move production to lower-cost countries. Last month, thousands of Italians took part in a worker strike near the carmaker's base north of Turin in anticipation of new job cuts.
Stellantis said it would remove the small Italian flag stickers on its vehicles because the Topolino project was developed in Turin. The automaker has denied any wrongdoing and said it has always communicated in a transparent manner about the countries where Topolino is manufactured.
The original Topolino quadricycle, which means “little mouse” in Italian, was one of the first mass-produced vehicles built in Italy in the 1930s. Prices for the improved version are expected to start at 9,890 euros ($10,775).
The automaker announced earlier this month that it would begin selling cars made by Chinese partner Leap Motor in Europe as part of a global push to reduce the cost of electric vehicles.
