Italian police have confiscated more than 130 “Fiat” cars imported from Morocco because of a sticker bearing the colors of the Italian flag on their doors, which may give a false impression of their origin.
A spokesman for Stellantis Group in Italy confirmed that the label was intended only to indicate the commercial origin of the product, noting that the company believes it did not break the rules.
Italian authorities stopped 134 small Topolino cars in the Italian port of Livorno, where they arrived from Morocco, which manufactures them.
The spokesman added that the design team of the new Topolino model belongs to Centro Steel Fiat, a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe Group, based in Italy.
The group had previously announced that Morocco would produce the model, and in a move to solve the problem, the group decided to remove small stickers from the vehicles, subject to approval from the authorities.
The move comes amid an ongoing dispute between Italy’s right-wing government and Stellantis Group over production options, with Rome asserting that cars marketed as Italian products must be produced locally.
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