Lifecycle of the current Panda will be extended to at least 2026 at which point, it will be 15-years old. Image: Fiat
Earlier this year reported as becoming a reality either in 2024 or 2025, Stellantis has now confirmed that the fourth generation Fiat Panda will be unveiled next year as an all-electric model in readiness for Turin becoming an EV-only brand in Europe 12 months later.
Hinted by Fiat CEO Olivier Francois in October as having been developed from the onset as an affordable EV aimed directly at the influx of Chinese vehicles, the new Panda will reportedly return to its roots of becoming a city car similar to the 1980 original.
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Despite details at the time being unknown, the conglomerate, in a response to Automotive News Europe, said the fourth generation will, initially, not replace the current third generation immediately.
In a move similar to the combustion engine Fiat 500 and all-electric 500e, the electric Panda will be sold alongside its petrol/hybrid successor badged as the New Panda whereas the third will continue to be marketed without the “new” prefix until at least 2026.
Fiat’s response to the publication goes further by saying that the New Panda will not make use of Stellantis’ EV dedicated STLA Small platform as a result of it being expected to arrive only in 2026.
Instead, it will make use of the adapted Smart Car architecture that underpins the new Citroën ë-C3 as a means of keeping costs down in order to rival the Chinese brands.
“Fiat can and must develop a solution that puts the Chinese in difficulty,” a translated extract of Francois’ comments to Italy’s quattroroute.it about the Panda in October read.
Based on Automotive News Europe’s calculations, the New Panda will have similar dimensions to the ë-C3, which amounts to an overall length of 4 010 mm, height of 1 760 mm and width of 1 570 mm.
By comparison, the third generation Panda, which has been on-sale since 2011 and last received a significant update in 2020, measures 3 686 mm long, 1 551 mm high and 1 643 mm wide.
Using the ë-C3’s platform will result in the New Panda being motivated by the same 44-kWh lithium phosphate battery pack that sends 83 kW to the front wheels, and allows for a top speed of 135 km/h, a range of 320 km/h and support for DC charging up to 100 kW.
While the ë-C3’s petrol equivalent became available in South Africa earlier this year, neither the New Panda nor the combustion engine third generation are expected to be offered, the latter dropped three years ago due to slow sales.
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