Italy’s financial police have seized numerous Fiat Topolinos, which were found to carry the national flag despite being assembled in Morocco.
This move is the latest in an ongoing conflict between Giorgia Meloni’s government and the automaker.
The Topolinos were detained at the port of Livorno due to alleged violations of the “Made in Italy” law, which previously compelled Fiat’s parent company, Stellantis, to rename its Alfa Romeo Milano sports car to Junior.
The Italian government and Stellantis are at odds over the company’s plans to cut jobs in Italy and relocate production to countries with lower costs. Last month, thousands of Italians protested alongside striking workers near the company’s headquarters in Turin, anticipating further layoffs.
Stellantis has stated it will remove a small Italian flag sticker from the cars, explaining that the Topolino project was developed in Turin. The company denies any wrongdoing and maintains that it has always been transparent about the manufacturing location of the Topolino.
The original Topolino, Italian for “Little Mouse,” was one of the first mass-produced vehicles in Italy in the 1930s, designed by Dante Giacosa. The new version is expected to start at €9,890 ($10,775).
Earlier this month, Stellantis announced plans to sell vehicles made by its Chinese partner, Leapmotor, in Europe as part of its global expansion strategy to reduce the cost of electric vehicles.
