One of the most beloved Fiats, the Panda, is getting ready to be replaced. The upcoming generation will be more crossover-y than ever. It will feature battery-electric power, with some reporting that it won't completely give up on gasoline-fed mills yet.
We know quite a few details about it, from its design and platform to its place of birth. Speaking of the latter, it won't be put together at the Pomigliano d'Arco factory in Italy, which makes the outgoing iteration, as it will come to life in Serbia instead.
Beneath the fresh skin, which we will talk about in a moment, lies Stellantis' Smart Car Platform, allegedly. Models such as the new C3, C3 Aircross, and the upcoming Opel/Vauxhall Frontera use this construction, which supports ICE and EV powertrains.
Rumor has it that the New Panda (possible name – unconfirmed) might share its all-quiet powertrain with the e-C3. This means it might get a 44 kWh battery pack and a 111 hp (113 ps/83 kW) electric motor mounted at the front. The Citroen takes forever to hit 62 mph (100 kph), or 11 seconds, according to the brand, and has an 84 mph (135 kph) top speed and a 199-mile (320 km) WLTP-rated range.
Photo: Kolesa
Fiat's upcoming subcompact model will look more like a crossover than its predecessors. We've known this because of a few patent images that recently made their way to the World Wide Web, and it was these that served as inspiration for Kolesa's renderings. As a result, what you see here is pretty much what you will get when the car comes out.
The pixel manipulator stayed true to the leaked patents, making the vehicle look more realistic. If the design is familiar, it is because the 2019 Centoventi Concept inspired it. Mind you, some of the traits were toned down for production, but we can still see a similar approach at the front and rear, albeit with fresh lighting units and more sensible bumpers.
The grille has a closed-off styling, and there are no tailpipes at all, and that is because this New Panda is in the EV configuration. But the electric model(s) are expected to be joined by at least one gasoline-fed unit, likely with a mild-hybrid system, or at least this is what certain outlets believe.
Launching it with ICE and EV power will be a clever move, as it would allow customers to choose their ideal configuration without looking at what the competition has to offer. But when is the all-new Fiat Panda due? It should be sometime next year or before the end of 2024. We lean towards the former and will end this story by telling you that the upcoming Panda might not cross the Atlantic Ocean to our shores.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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