Fourth-gen hatchback matches rugged, retro design with petrol and electric power
FELIX PAGE
Fiat has revealed the all-new, fourth-generation Panda as a retro, rugged urban family car with a totally new look and the option of electric power.
Called the Grande Panda to reflect a footprint that is larger than that of its predecessor (see separate story), the new hatchback is closely related to the recently launched Citroën C3, with which it shares Stellantis’s value-minded Smart Car platform.
Originally engineered for developing markets, that platform has been adapted for global models and can accommodate both internal-combustion and battery powertrains.
The Grande Panda will offer both, most likely sharing the C3’s 124-mile and 203-mile electric systems, and mild-hybrid 99bhp 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine.
The production car stays true to the blocky, retro proportions of the Panda concept that Fiat revealed in February, even retaining the prominent Panda branding along its sides – a nod to its bare-bones 1980s namesake.
The minimalist, rugged look reflects Fiat’s new brand values of “strength and uniqueness” and sets the tone for the design of all upcoming models in the Panda family, including the pixel-style headlights, which were supposedly inspired by the windows of Fiat’s old Lingotto factory in Turin.
A number of cues nod to the Panda’s utilitarian roots and emphasise what Fiat calls its “UV [utility vehicle] attitude”, including the chunky front skidplate, roof rails and black lower-body cladding.
However, while the brand acknowledged the influence of the original Panda 4x4, it stopped short of hinting at plans for a four-wheel-drive version of the Grande Panda.
It’s some 0.3m longer than the previous Panda, at 3.99m, but that’s still “below the 4.06m segment average”, claims Fiat.
The five-seat cabin hasn’t been revealed yet, but Fiat said it would be “perfect for comfortable family living and contemporary urban mobility”.
Previously released sketches suggest the brand has completely rethought its approach to cabin design, with upcoming cars due to adopt a minimalist, futuristic new look that heavily references the old Lingotto factory.
Ovals will be a prevailing theme, in a nod to the 1920s building’s famous rooftop test track, and efforts to reduce the weight and cost of various elements will lend an airier, more spac
