In the past few days, there was news from France indicating that Fiat would discontinue the sale of hybrid versions of the Panda, 500X, and Tipo in the country. This news, of course, caused quite a stir, prompting the Stellantis group to clarify the situation regarding the product range of the leading Italian automobile manufacturer in France.
Fiat: the discontinuation of the 500, Panda, and Tipo in France is not permanent
The recent information leaked by the French press appears to be inaccurate. Fiat will indeed cease the sale of these models, but only for the 2023 model year. However, this does not mean that the Italian manufacturer will immediately halt the production or marketing of these models, as announced a few days ago. Their lifecycle will be completed. In short, it will no longer be possible to order these vehicles in France in the exact desired configuration (options, colors, finishes, etc.) from the various factories that produce them.
Although these are models approaching the end of their production cycle, such as the Fiat 500X SUV (whose production will cease in 2024) or the duo of city cars, the Fiat Panda Hybrid and 500 Hybrid, which have been in dealerships for 11 and 14 years, or models with low sales in France, as is the case with the Fiat Tipo. The Turin-based company promises that “the reopening of orders for MY24 versions will occur in the coming weeks.” This clarification is necessary, considering the uproar caused by the news that arrived from France at the end of last week and generated considerable discussion, even in Italy.
Let’s recall that in 2023, Fiat introduced the new 600 and Topolino, while in 2024, the new Panda will make its debut, which will come in the middle of the next year and will undergo significant changes compared to today. Then, in 2025, it will be the time of the new Multipla. We will see, therefore, what new developments are in store for the leading Italian car manufacturer in the near future.