This is our first look at the all-new, long-awaited, fourth-generation Fiat Panda. This time around, it is getting the full name ‘Grande Panda’, and it should slot in as a more straightforward, robust compact car to sit alongside Fiat’s rather more chic 500 and 600 electrified product lines.
There aren’t many details about the interior or drivetrains on this Panda as yet, but we know it will sit on the STLA Smart platform - which is a spin-off of the STLA Small chassis that underpins various other vehicles in the Stellantis stable, such as the Fiat 600e and Jeep Avenger.
As a result, the Grande Panda is confirmed as going to be offered with electric and hybrid versions, as it is a “global [model] line-up based on a multi-energy platform”.
Short length, attractive design
What we do know is that the Grande Panda measures less than four metres long, but is capable of seating five within thanks to its spacious interior design.
It will initially be sold in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It is the first new product in a family of cars that will launch a new vehicle every year between now and 202 - good news for Fiat, which has had a remarkably narrow product line-up for quite some time now.
While the car itself isn’t physically large, the launch of any new Panda is big news. This incoming model will be only the fourth distinct generation of Fiat’s much-loved value runaround since it first appeared in 1980. The original soldiered on, admittedly with a few facelifts, for more than two decades until production finally ceased in 2003, while the Mk2 had a more reasonable eight-year product cycle until 2011. But the Mk3, still on sale right now, has been around for 13 years and it feels it.
Visually, the new Grande Panda takes more than a few styling cues from that original model. In particular, the C-pillar (the area of metal supporting the roof behind the back doors) and the angle of the rear windscreen when viewed from the side of the car are strongly reminiscent of the original, as are the upright, rectangular taillight clusters (which, admittedly, are now LED) and the ‘dropped’ rear licence plate.
The front is good too, though, with strong orthogonal - that means ‘at right angles’, to you and us - lines and the distinctive LED lamp signatures. Following on from Fiat’s ‘no more greys’ mantra, the car will be offered in a variety of bright body colours, one of which is the yellow you can see here.
A flavour of crossover
As is the fashion these days, even though the Grande Panda is not explicitly listed as such, there are strong crossover themes to some of its aesthetics, not least in its tall and upright stance which seems to promise a good, high-set driving position.
Further SUV-like indicators include fake skid plates mounted low and centrally in the front and rear bumpers, black plastic cladding to protect the lower body and also seen running over the wheel arches, and a set of roof rails up top.
The 17-inch, diamond-cut alloys have an X design which seems to mimic the old Fiat corporate logo of four diagonal silver lines, while there’s a more-than-evens chance they’re aerodynamically optimised to help the all-electric Grande Panda make the most of its battery power and thus give it greater outright driving range.
We’ve just talked about company badges and the way Fiat has rendered them on the Grande Panda is certainly eye-catching and a little bit daring, so we approve. But the main ‘Fiat’ badge is embossed into the bootlid, while the ‘Panda’ model logo is done in a 3D-lettering manner on that horizontal strip which bisects the tailgate horizontally. More interesting still is the ‘bas relief’ logo on the side doors, which reads ‘Panda’ in large lettering; we like. A lot.
Happy birthday to Fiat
This year marks Fiat’s 125th anniversary and so the Italian company is celebrating in style by announcing this Grande Panda. Olivier Francois, the CEO of Fiat and Stellantis’ global CMO, said: “The best way to celebrate Fiat’s 125 years is to start writing the first pages of our future, starting with the new Grande Panda.
“Designed in Turin, Italy, by our Centro Stile, Fiat’s new creation embodies its forerunner’s values. This compact car is based on a global platform, giving the brand the opportunity to expand its global reach.
“With the Grande Panda, Fiat now begins its transition to global common platforms that cover all regions of the world, passing on the resulting benefits to its customers worldwide. In fact, the Grande Panda is perfectly suited for families and urban mobility in every country... a real Fiat!”