The event that took place in recent days in Turin, Italy, celebrated Fiat’s 125th anniversary. During the event, there was also an opportunity to showcase the new Grande Panda. Olivier Francois, CEO of the brand, along with other brand communication representatives, answered various questions. Starting with orders for the electric Fiat Grande Panda, which will open in September 2024, to availability in dealerships from November.
The Grande Panda will first arrive in the fully electric version and later in the hybrid version. Clarifications on prices have arrived after months of speculation and hypotheses. The hybrid version will start at less than 19,000 euros, including the dual-clutch automatic transmission. The electric version will be priced below 25,000 euros.
Fiat Grande Panda marks the beginning of a new era for the Italian brand: all the innovations planned for the future
The question many would have liked to ask: will there ever be a 4×4 version of the Fiat Grande Panda? It seems that at the moment, a “Cross” version is not planned, as the Smart Car platform on which the new Grande Panda is based does not support all-wheel drive. However, it appears there could be room for an electric version with a motor powering the rear wheels, like the 4xe variants available for other Stellantis group models such as Jeep.
As for the new hybrid Fiat 500, Olivier Francois states that “it will be available in 18 months,” towards the end of 2025. The electric version of the city car will serve as the basis for a mild hybrid variant with the 1.0 engine. Speaking of Abarth, the 500 versions are about to be retired. Abarth’s future sees fully electric models, as seen with the Abarth 600. It seems that for the brand, models with internal combustion engines and polluting emissions are considered “outdated.”
Between 2025 and 2026, two new medium-sized models will be introduced on the Fiat Grande Panda‘s Smart Car platform: a five-door sedan and a crossover, namely the Fiat Multipla and Fastback. There will be common design elements, and competitiveness and accessibility will be significant.