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New Fiat Panda, everything we know one month before the debut

Italy's best-selling car is preparing for a second revolution after the 2003 one that retired the Giugiaro-designed icon

11 June 2024

3' min read

The Panda, the Italian hatchback par excellence, is now in its final credits, remaining in production until 2027 in Pomigliano. The new one that will replace the model on sale since 2012 and will be unveiled on 11 July on the day Fiat celebrates 125 years of history will, in fact, be a very different car from the current one. Starting with the baby-monovolume format chosen twenty years ago and moving on to a model that will instead wink at the future and the world of small crossovers. And there will be a leap in category: from segment A to segment B.

It will be bigger and higher off the ground

The dimensions inevitably change, as the length is expected to grow from the current 365 cm to around 4 metres. The new Panda, in fact, will be built on the same Smart Car platform on which the new Citroen C3 rests, which not surprisingly offers a similar size. This will allow the new Panda to be available not only with thermal engines but also in a 100% electric variant.

More space inside the car

The increase in length could move the model much higher than the current one. On the other hand, it would offer more space inside and, perhaps, foreshadow a 7-seater version, as indeed envisaged by its Citroen C3 twin. On the other hand, the increase in length could foreshadow a future even more compact model destined to inherit the current buyers who particularly appreciate its small size.

A different twin compared to the 600

The new Panda in the Fiat brand's range should be one step lower than the 600, as well as offering an outdoor look with more basic equipment to keep prices down and continue to make inroads not only in Italy, but also in South America, where Fiat is the market leader. As for styling, it should be inspired by the original shapes of the Centoventi concept unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2019.

A more refined variant? Why not

The kinship with the Centoventi concept could give way to a more refined variant with front light clusters linked by an LED strip, a detail usually found on models in higher segments. As well as those at the rear that could feature a light bridge connecting them. The options, then, are not lacking, but certainties will only be revealed at launch.

A cockpit inspired by the original

The reference to the original Pandino could also be concentrated in the large rectangular instrument cluster: this will be a unique model integrating the infotainment and digital instrument displays. Compared to the first series Panda, but also to the current one, the real new element is the central tunnel, with a large armrest, a storage compartment and even wireless charging.

The first Panda to arrive will be electric

The sales timeline for the new Panda is that the first version will be the electric, which will have, as mentioned, the same powertrain as the e-C3 and a price that should be around 23,000 euros. Also in common with the baby Citroen will be the 44 kWh battery powering the 113 hp electric motor for a 0-100 in 11 seconds. A petrol mild hybrid will arrive at a later date.

Will the new electric Panda challenge the Chinese?

The first battery-powered Panda could put similar models from Chinese manufacturers in the crosshairs, especially in the more essential version where the contribution reproduces what was the iconic Panda, but in an electric key. It would be cheaper than the other competitors and in the future, perhaps, also be produced in Italy, perhaps in the Mirafiori plant where the electric 550 is already assembled and the announced hybrid will soon be.

The new Panda produced in Serbia

The Panda 2024 will be produced at the Stellantis plant in Kragujevac, Serbia, which is already the home of the 500 L. In Pomigliano d'Arco, the home of the current Panda, the endothermic version will continue to be produced until at least 2030. Finally, it cannot be ruled out that Fiat will soon unveil the first official images of the new Panda, if it is still called that, just before D-Day on 11 July.

A new family of models on the way

The arrival of the new Panda will kick off a new family of cars based on the Panda that will contrast with the other iconic Fiat, the 500, which in turn will evolve into equally new variants. It is no coincidence that the brand has unveiled five new concepts inspired by the Panda that share a more practical and functional aesthetic language that will later be found in the future new Fiat Multipla.