Major car brand considers launching '73mph maximum speed limit' in new vehicles

The boss of one of the UK's most popular car brands has said he would be in favour of limiting speeds to 73mph, rather than fitting new technology.

Olivier François, CEO of Fiat, said the brand would "happily" limit top speeds of Fiat vehicles to 73mph, rather than install expensive safety technology.

The European Union requires all new motor vehicles, including cars, vans and trucks. to have intelligent speed assistance solutions installed.

This includes cameras, sensors for reversing, attention warnings for drowsy drivers, and emergency stop signals.

New motor vehicles should also be equipped with lane-keeping and automated braking systems. The Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) are part of a plan to slash the number of people killed and seriously injured on the roads.

The EU estimates that the measures will save over 25,000 lives and avoid 140,000 serious accidents by 2038.

The General Safety Regulation outlines that measures will continue to be introduced over the coming months and years to further improve conditions.

All new motor vehicles must have advanced driver distraction warnings, safe and longer-lasting tyre performance and safety glass from July 2026.

The Fiat boss said the brand would consider placing a firm limit on some of its cars, since they are mainly driven in cities, where motorists cannot significantly exceed speed limits.

He noted that the regulations, which generally apply to higher speeds, have little relevance for cars like the 500 and Panda.

Mr François welcomed the potential introduction of the new "M1E" category, which the EU would designate for small, affordable electric vehicles.

The Fiat boss added that many of the brand's vehicles were designed for urban environments and driven by young people, who do not travel longer distances as often, Autocar reported.

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Mr François said: "I have a hard time understanding why we need to install all this super-expensive hardware: sensors, cameras, road sign recognition.

"All this is a little bit inadequate, a bit crazy, and has contributed to raising the average price of a city car by 60 per cent over the last five or six years.

"If you take the average legal maximum speed in Europe, it's 118kph [73mph], so above 118kph is [often] illegal, and most of the radars, ADAS and all this stuff has been developed for cars to go way above the speed limit.

"I would happily limit my city cars, my smaller cars, to what is today the maximum legal speed limit. It's already a limitation. There is something weird that I need to over-spec my cars to go above the legal speed limit."

In a bid to boost its electric vehicle sales, Fiat recently unveiled the E-Grant, which offers savings of up to £4,040.

The Italian manufacturer already sells the Grande Panda Electric, 600e, 500e and the incoming Topolino quadricycle.

Drivers can now get their hands on the Fiat 500e from just £20,995, or the 600e for £26,750, with savings of £4,040 and £3,285 respectively.

The 500e is well-suited for driving in cities, boasting an impressive 199-mile range, rapid charging capabilities of up to 80 per cent in 30 minutes, and advanced safety features.