(Geneva) Fiat models for the next few years will be based on the new Panda, which must be modernized and electrified in July, the brand’s boss, Olivier François, announced on Sunday evening.
For the 125e anniversary of Fiat, “the next step will consist of moving from local products to a global offer”, in particular by launching pick-ups in Europe, underlined Mr. François in a video published on social networks.
The Fiat boss spoke from a bar, located near a so-called Lombard place called “Ginevra”, a nod to the Geneva show which opens on Monday and which the entire Stellantis group has avoided this year.
The concept foreshadowing the next Panda, the Italian manufacturer’s historic entry-level model, is larger than the current model. It takes up the abrupt lines that designer Giorgetto Giugiaro gave to the first generation, launched in 1980.
Inside, it is inspired by the oval pattern of Lingotto, the former Fiat factory in Turin with its track on the roof, particularly for the seats.
Like the current Panda, 3e generation launched in 2011, it promises a “high driving position” and a “robust design”. Electric, it offers an original automatic winding charging cable. It must be presented on July 11 in Turin.
The new vehicles will share the same chassis, adapted according to local needs, with a thermal, hybrid or electric engine, specifies Fiat.
The Panda will be “followed by a new model each year” inspired by its aesthetic, from 2025 to 2027, announced Olivier François.
A spacious family SUV, “a sort of Giga-Panda”, must join the family.
It’s a change of times: in the 2010s, Fiat had built its European range around its small 500, successfully launched in 2007 and symbol of its economic recovery.
The third model inspired by the Panda is a pick-up, which Fiat sells mainly in Brazil, and which could arrive in Europe.
First brand of the Stellantis group in the world with 1.35 million units sold in 2023 (+12% year-on-year), No. 1 in Italy, but also in Brazil and Turkey, Fiat wants to continue to internationalize, underlined Mr. François, who is also the marketing director of Stellantis.