The Fiat Grande Panda is the big news of 2024 for the Italian car manufacturer. The first official images were released in recent weeks, but the official presentation only took place on July 11th. The new generation of the model will debut on the market in a hybrid version and a fully electric version, with prices expected to start from about 19,000 euros for the hybrid version and just under 25,000 euros for the EV.
Will a future compact Jeep SUV be based on the new Fiat Grande Panda?
In addition to representing a fundamental model for Fiat’s future, from which other vehicles will be derived, including the new Multipla and the new Fastback, which we recently saw thanks to the first teasers, the Fiat Grande Panda could also serve as the basis for a new compact Jeep SUV. This should be about 4 meters long and would allow the American car manufacturer to debut a low-cost electric SUV in the United States with starting prices below $25,000.
We remind you that the Fiat Grande Panda is equipped with an electric architecture with a 44 kWh battery and a 113 HP front-wheel drive motor. So this could be the basis for this potential model designed for North America, replacing the Renegade, which exited the US market a few months ago.
Another option could be exporting or adapting an electric model based on the Jeep Avenger for the American market, but this would involve a significantly higher price, estimated around $39,000. Therefore, in this case, the promise made by Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares would not be fulfilled. He said in recent months during a visit to the USA that Jeep was considering a low-cost compact electric SUV, priced at around $25,000. Jeep’s goal is indeed to exceed 1 million cars sold per year in the United States.