Fiat Panda will be one of the cheapest electric cars – Preview

Highlights new Fiat Panda

• Coming soon!
• The new electric Panda must above all be affordable
• From about 20 grand

Stellantis’ electric offensive does not seem to be hindered by any form of restriction and so Fiat is fully participating in the hunt for the EV buyer. It already has the electric 500e and a fully electric 600e. But it doesn’t stop there. Fiat is also launching a small electric hatchback and has an iconic model name on it: Panda. In keeping with tradition, the electric Panda should be affordable for most European private individuals.

Fiat hopes to achieve this by not having the newcomer be an Italian sister model to the Peugeot 208, Opel Corsa or Lancia Ypsilon. Unlike those hatchbacks and their powerful derivatives, the Panda will not be on the (e-) CMP platform. Instead, it rests on what Stellantis calls its Smart Car Platform. This is a simpler variant of the CMP hardware, intended for relatively cheap models. Citroën is already using it in the new (ë)-C3 and the electric successor to the C3 Aircross is also using it. The same applies to Opel Frontera, which replaces the Crossland.

Temporarily two Pandas

The arrival of a new Panda is quite a big deal for the car world, because for the first time since 2011 Fiat is launching a 100 percent new Panda. Important: it will not be a direct successor to the current model. At least, not since its market introduction. The old mild-hybrid Panda will remain in the showroom next to the new one until at least 2026. In the same way as the technically completely different 500e and 500 Hybrid coexist.

Fiat does not make the Panda a retro model, nor does it show any major similarities with the Centoventi Concept, the study model with which it previewed the new Panda in 2019. The little Italian will not be a kind of Citroën C3 either. In fact, the Panda has been given its very own carriage. Although you still see some similarities with the C3 in the doors and handles, among other things. But otherwise everything looks completely unique. The Panda even gets third side windows that the ë-C3 does not have. With its flat binoculars, the Fiat peers slyly into the world; an immense difference with the cuddly face of the current model. Between the headlights is a strip containing a set of lines that Fiat will undoubtedly claim to refer to the vertical slots in the snout of the original Panda.

Lower in the front we see playfully designed LED daytime running lights. Fiat did look at the Centoventi for the design of those lower-placed units. The ‘ribs’ that decorated the show car all around also survive the transition to the production stage. The back is more cheerful. This is thanks to its unique and square taillights with rounded corners. You will also find similar shapes in the current Panda. A strip running across the entire width of the rear divides the rear lights in two. Of course, we don’t all conjure up that science from our crystal ball. We recently unearthed the patent drawings of the new Panda, which our digital drawing master then expertly completed. We must note that Fiat itself recently showed some concepts with the Panda name that looked different, but they may look ahead to models higher up in the market, in a real Panda family.

Fiat Panda (Illustration: Larson)

Growth spurt

The Panda is not only changing rigorously in terms of EV content and shape, but also in terms of size, a shock wave will undoubtedly pass through its habitat. The current Panda remains just under 3.7 meters in length, but the newcomer seems to be approaching 4 meters. Never before has a Panda been so large, although all in all it remains a modestly sized hatchback.

Then the question of questions: what will the Panda have to offer? For this we do look at sister brand Citroën. The electric ë-C3 is available with a 113-hp electric motor on the front axle, which draws its zest for life from a 44-kWh battery. This combination gives the Frenchman a range of 320 kilometers. The ë-C3 will later also be available in a milder motorized variant, which has a range of about 200 kilometers. In exchange for a lower starting price of about 20 grand and less muscle power. Just like the new C3, the fresh Panda will soon not only be available as an EV; we expect some mild-hybrid versions. Fiat’s youngest will soon leave the production line in Serbia. The move is reportedly related to keeping production costs as low as possible, without moving to China.