Back to the Panda base
With the next generation of the Fiat Panda, CEO Olivier François thinks he has the weapon to compete with Chinese manufacturers. In fact, Fiat expects to make it difficult for Chinese manufacturers in Europe with the new Panda.
The Fiat Panda has always been a price winner. Previous generations of the Fiat Panda were regularly the cheapest new car you could buy new in the Netherlands and it does not seem that Fiat plans to suddenly give the Panda a completely different character. Next year, Fiat will release a new generation of the Panda. There are not only versions with combustion engines, but also fully electric versions. Fiat CEO Olivier Francois previously indicated that the electric Panda will have a starting price of less than €25,000. An alternative to the Dacia Spring, but Fiat has Chinese manufacturers in its sights.
The CEO recently indicated to the Italian newspaper Repubblica that he wants to compete with Chinese electric cars with the electric Fiat Panda. “Fiat can and must develop a solution that will cause difficulties for Chinese manufacturers,” Francois said. The CEO describes the new Panda as a car without too much fuss that does what the original Panda did, but in the field of EVs. “Cheaper than others.”
With the Centoventi Concept, Fiat gave a hint years ago as to what it had in mind for a successor to the Panda. Although it is not certain that the Panda will resemble that car, the concept of that study model must remain intact. The Centoventi was relatively simple, complete with visible hinge points for the doors and a fairly minimalist interior.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl