Will the Smart Car platform succeed in becoming Stellantis’ winning card? It’s a good base for small cars but also for compact SUVs, allowing for great production versatility within the group. It ranges from the Citroën e-C3 to the Fiat Grande Panda, built on this low-cost architecture, but also larger vehicles. A compact SUV and a C-segment fastback are also reportedly on the list.
Fiat Grande Panda ushers in a new era: two new SUVs on the way
These aren’t rumors, but the words of Fiat CEO Olivier François during the celebrations for the Italian brand’s 125th anniversary. Renderings of the two new models were already spotted in February 2024, but there’s always further confirmation of this direction. Series production of the two new vehicles should start in 2025 and 2026, but the exact order of release is not yet clear.
Several months ago, Fiat presented not only a study on the Panda, which would later go into production as the Fiat Grande Panda, but also four other higher-class vehicles. Official names were never revealed, but all would be based on the same platform, the Smart Car platform.
The first model was presented on July 11. In the coming years, Fiat should launch new models every year. The concepts showed angular lines and a similar light signature, with numerous pixels on the front and rear, just like the Grande Panda we’ve seen in promotional campaigns in recent months. At 3.99 meters long, the Panda falls into the B-SUV segment, while the fastback and SUV belong to the C-SUV segment. They could be based on the Citroën e-C3 Aircross, which also uses the Smart Car platform and measures 4.39 meters in length.
The SUV concept from February is very reminiscent of the Grande Panda presented a few days ago, but with larger dimensions. Fiat will likely think of promoting it as a spacious family SUV, a sort of “Giga Panda,” as the concept was called. It’s unlikely, however, that it will have seven seats like the combustion version of the e-C3 Aircross, as the body is closed by a C-pillar. The fastback concept is very similar to the SUV, with a sloped rear end. It could be defined as an “angular” SUV coupe. Fiat will focus on sporty performance and aerodynamic design.
During the presentation of the Citroën e-C3 in autumn, it was anticipated that several vehicles would use the Smart Car platform. Citroën, Opel, and Fiat have introduced various models, with Peugeot and perhaps Jeep likely to follow these new arrivals shortly. Premium car brands like Alfa Romeo and DS probably won’t use this low-cost platform. So, we’re waiting for a small SUV and a compact SUV, as Olivier François specified.