According to Fiat design boss François Leboine in a recent interview with Autocar, the new Fiat Panda will debut on July 11th and mark the beginning of a new family of cars that will compete with the Fiat 500 line, which will continue to evolve with new variants.
The new generation of the Fiat Panda will be the first in a new family of vehicles
The brand recently unveiled five new concept cars inspired by the Panda, which should evolve into production cars over the next three years, but there is still room in the range for the 500 to evolve and generate new derivatives. According to Leboine, Fiat has always been a manufacturer with two “souls”: the “Dolcevita” ethos, embodied by the 500 and its derivatives, and the “more practical and functional” language that defined the original Panda by Giorgetto Giugiaro. This dual soul will be further highlighted by the birth of this second family of cars, which will make its debut with the new Fiat Panda, with features that will also be found in the other cars that will be part of its family, such as the new Fiat Multipla.
“These two souls of our brand respond to two different types of customers,” he said. “We are really happy to have them because they are two translations that, for designers, are both very interesting to play with.” Leboine also added that in this way for designers there will be more opportunity to vary without being too repetitive or boring.
Leboine reiterated that each of Fiat’s five new concepts, including the new Fiat Panda, is designed with strong inspiration from the old Fiat Lingotto factory in Turin, famous for its rooftop test track, which is reflected in the design of some internal ovoid elements. However, this does not mean that the cars will be retro, but that their style will certainly be modern and minimalist.
“What we get from the Lingotto is eternal modernity. I don’t think there’s anything retro about what we’ve done. I’m quite comfortable with that. We use the past to tell a story, but in reality the products we’re making are decidedly modern and look to the future.” So with the new Fiat Panda we’ll have a first taste of all this.