It's gonna be cheap(-ish) and very funky.
Fiat will be turning 125 years old on 11 July 2024, and there's a good chance it will use the occasion to introduce an all-new version of its second most famous car, the Panda.
According to Autocar, who spoke with Fiat boss Olivier Francois, the brand has something “very special” in store for the occasion. “We have room to make another B-segment [car]. More in the 'essential' [category]. Clearly, our offering could accommodate another product,” said Francois. He's alluding to an addition to the Fiat 600, which will compete in the B-segment (subcompact) in Europe.
But the “essential” part of the quote leads us to believe that the Panda will be returning to its humble roots.
“The car that you are going to see next year will be cool, popular, [and] affordable,” added Francois. Fiat is looking at a starting price of roughly £13,000 (approximately $16,500), which would put it up against the cheap and cheerful Renault Sandero.
Francois also said the unnamed car would be four meters long (157 inches), which means it will likely use the same CMP platform as the Jeep Avenger and Fiat 600. “We need something that is 100% following the European tastes but really can be global,” said Francois. “And this is why I said there may be space for something else, other than the 600 [in the B-segment], which is very, very European.”
Unfortunately, while Francois is speaking globally, he only mentions Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia.
Still, there is a case to be made for an all-new Panda with styling borrowed from the Fiat Centoventi concept. An all-electric Panda is not expected to cost less than $40,000. That's what the upcoming 500e EV will sell for, which means it will be an extremely niche product in the USA. That's not to say Fiat won't build an electric model, but it would have to get creative to beat that price.
The supposition of electric power matches earlier reports that Fiat will launch two new EVs in the second half of 2023. The first is the Fiat 600, which conveniently leaked early in one of Fiat's own videos. The second will likely be the new Panda, as the Italian brand is already putting out nostalgia-inducing special editions to drum up support for the return of the mighty little 4×4.
Keyword: Fiat's All-New Electric Panda Will Reportedly Debut Next Week