Grande Panda: FIAT’s new global player

FIAT reveals the first pictures of the new Grande Panda, the firstborn of the new family inspired by the 1980s Panda, a compact family mover which responds to the needs of customers worldwide.

The new Fiat Grande Panda is the first model of the new global line-up based on a multi-energy platform, as FIAT starts its transition from local-based production to a global offer through a common global platform.

The Grande Panda will first land in Europe, Middle East, and Africa, and will be available in both electric and hybrid versions.

A B-segment vehicle under 4 metres long, with clean lines, well-organised roominess thanks to its compact volume, and a 5-person capacity, the Grande Panda is perfect both for family comfort and today’s urban mobility.

With more than a century’s worth of history, FIAT is one of the oldest operating automobile manufacturers and a truly global brand which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. FIAT’s history is dotted with achievements, records, leadership, and a global reach, with the brand always keeping its customers in mind. On the year of its important anniversary, FIAT is introducing the new Grande Panda and providing its clients all over the world with a new global model which is ideal for families and the contemporary urban environment.

Olivier Francois, FIAT CEO and Stellantis Global CMO, stated: “The best way to celebrate FIAT’s 125 years is to start writing the first pages of our future, starting with the new Grande Panda. Designed in Turin, Italy by our Centro Stile, FIAT’s new creation embodies its forerunner’s values. This compact car is based on a global platform, giving the Brand the opportunity to expand its global reach.

“With the Grande Panda, FIAT now begins its transition to global common platforms that cover all regions of the world, passing on the resulting benefits to its customers worldwide. In fact, the Grande Panda is perfectly suited for families and urban mobility in every country… a real FIAT!”

The Grande Panda is the first new product in the family and will be followed by the launch of a new vehicle every year until 2027. The new set of models has been designed to conquer the streets of the world and complete the brand’s line-up. FIAT’s innovative project is to manufacture vehicles on the same global and multi-energy Smart platform, which works in every region in the world, allowing the brand to create many different vehicles and respond to customers’ needs worldwide.

FIAT GRANDE PANDA: DESIGNED IN ITALY FOR THE WORLD

Designed in Italy at the Centro Stile in Turin, the Fiat Grande Panda stands out from the other B-segment vehicles for its unique compactness at just 3.99-metres long — below the 4.06 m segment average — and features clean lines and well-organised roominess thanks to its compact volume. The new FIAT model can carry five people and is perfect for comfortable family living and contemporary urban mobility. With the objective of conveying strength and uniqueness, the volume appears robust and structured. The wedge-shaped and dynamic design of the body is generated by its pronounced profile lines. The Grande Panda has been conceived to project the Brand into the future with an innovative and smart use of the space, a cool personality and surprising features.

The new Fiat Grande Panda comes with a special exterior look with a subtle combination of structured lines and soft and bold surfaces that emphasise the robust wheel arches. In addition, the new Fiat Grande Panda’s “Italianness” becomes immediately apparent through its iconic and ironic Italian design which is synonymous with beauty. The compact family mover comes with bright body colours, one of which will be yellow.

The front features a compact volume with a distinctive new personality. Precise orthogonal lines envelop a progressive square mesh arrangement that creates a strong, sleek look, generating a punctuation of pixels from the centre of the glossy black upper grille to the headlights. The presence of a skid plate in the lower central part of the bumper contributes to emphasising a UV attitude, while the headlamps, made up of opal cubes, reflect the windows on the façades of the Lingotto factory. Moreover, alongside the unique light signature, the Daytime Running Lights (DRL) turn into indicators and illuminate some of the cubes which appear as horizontal pixels arranged in a chessboard pattern.

On the sides, the Fiat Grande Panda’s silhouette calls back to the strength of the Panda from the 80s, with its undisputable, self-confident allure provided by the dynamic passenger compartment and greenhouse.

The wedge-shaped attitude of the bodywork and cabin is well-defined and enhanced even more by the sloping roof racks, which move from the top towards the rear end.

In homage to the classic Panda 4×4, the Panda letters are surprising: printed with three dimensional in bas-relief on the doors, they reflect the surrounding environment and animate the lower part of the side.

Furthermore, the unmistakable inclination of the angular ratio with the vertical volume of the rear is reproduced by the robust ‘C’ pillar. To generate a lenticular effect, a black square badge is connected to the graphics of the greenhouse, creating a striking effect in which the four FIAT letters turn into four bars which walk around the vehicle.

The rear features a bold character as well thanks to its prominent wheel arches, the inclination of the windows, the overall layout of the rear window, headlights, and skids which confer the Fiat Grande Panda with a protective and stable appearance and robust ground solidity. The volume is increased thanks to the integration of a glossy black bezel with the three-dimensional letters of Panda—a design homage to the original Panda. Finally, to maintain theme of 80s geometries combined with a futuristic style, the 17″ diamond-cut alloy wheels are amplified by a captivating, stylised X design.

With a special and new design language, the Fiat Grande Panda is shaping the future now. It is part of the Brand’s quest to provide customers all over the world with a unique car that expresses all its values through its distinctive design.