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Fiat boss: EV next Panda will be a direct Chinese rival
Eventual replacement for the current Panda dropped in South Africa three years ago, will hark back to the original that debuted in 1980.
Current Panda has been updated stylistically or with new engines no less than three times since debuting in 2011. Image: Fiat
Still accounting for a fair share of Fiat’s global sales, none more so than in Italy despite being 12 years old, the Turin automaker’s CEO has confirmed the next generation Panda will take direct aim at offerings from China when it debuts in 2024 or 2025.
Clear goal
Last updated in 2020, which saw the addition of a first hybrid model, the Panda officially celebrated its 40th anniversary in said year, with its long-term future at the time still unknown.
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Just over a year later after the establishing of Stellantis, division CEO, Olivier Francois, said a decision had been made to officially realign Fiat as an all-electric brand by 2025, a move started months before with the unveiling of the second generation electric only 500 renamed as the 500e.
In the latest report about the Panda, Francois said the fourth generation Panda will return to its tiny city car routes when it debuts, but one developed to curb the influx of cheaper Chinese vehicles that have become prominent in Europe over last half decade.
“Fiat can and must develop a solution that puts the Chinese in difficulty,” a translated extract of Francios’ comments to Italian publication quattroroute read.
Made in Europe
The executive went further by saying the electric Panda will be cheaper than models from the People’s Republic, in addition to being more basic and therefore similar to the 1980 original.
According to the quattroroute report, the Panda is expected to ride on the electrically optimised CMP platform rather than on the dedicated electric vehicle STLA Small only due to enter service in 2026.
As a result, it will still support combustion engine motivation, though most likely outside of Europe despite the much publicised banning of all petrol and diesel vehicles only happening in 2035.
Conforming to Stellantis having all of its marque fully electric on the Old Continent by 2030, the Panda will be built in Europe reportedly in one of two factories; the main facility in Turin and the Kragujevac plant in Serbia closed last year, but undergoing retooling for electric vehicle manufacturing from next year.
Expect more in 2024
As mentioned, nothing else about the new Panda is known, but expect first details to emerge in 2024.
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