Today is an exciting day as Fiat has just revealed the new Grande Panda, a kid-friendly crossover-style hatchback. If you can believe it, this is only the fourth generation of panda dates back to 1980 when the original model was revealed and that model was produced until 2003! While it probably won’t be offered with all-wheel drive unlike previous Pandas – there will be a small Panda SUV for that – the Grande Panda stays true to the original Panda 4×4 overall spirit.
Grande Panda is built on Stellantis’ Smart Vehicle platform, which also underpins the Citroën C3 and other future models. At 157 inches long, it’s smaller than other B-segment cars, although it’s about a foot longer than the old Panda and a few inches longer than the new three-door Mini. Fiat is yet to detail the powertrain, but like its Citroën sibling, the Grande Panda will be offered with all-electric combustion or mild-hybrid options.
Who cares what powers it has – look how cute it is! The “Italianness” of the new Fiat Grande Panda becomes immediately apparent through its iconic and ironic Italian design, synonymous with beauty,” says Fiat. I couldn’t have said it better myself. For such a small car, the Grande Panda has a powerful stance thanks to its flared fenders, upright greenhouse, and overall shape that resembles the original car.
It has a distinctive exterior with pixelated lights that Fiat says “reflect the windows on the facade of the Lingotto factory,” and the faux grille and front bumper feature other color-shifting pixel elements that Fiat describes like a chess board. The taillights have the same graphics as the headlights but rotate vertically, and both the front and rear bumpers have silver skid plate details. The two-spoke wheels (?) are amazing – Stellantis is making some of the best wheel designs in the industry right now.
My favorite element is the door panels, which feature a silhouette of the Panda name embossed in large block letters. In fact, all the branding and badges on Panda are excellent. Fiat’s new retro logo with tall, thin letters is placed in the corner of the radiator grille and embossed on the rear door. The black C-pillar border also has an embossed Fiat logo and in the black part of the rear door is the 3D Panda text.
Fiat has yet to release interior images, but the brand promises the Grande Panda “can seat five people and is perfect for comfortable family life and modern urban mobility.” More details will be announced before the new Panda goes on sale in Europe, the Middle East and Africa later this year, while the previous generation Panda will remain on sale until 2030, currently branded as the Pandino . The Grande Panda will be followed by a new Panda model every year from now until 2027 — last year’s concept previewed an SUV, a fastback crossover, a compact van and a pickup truck.
