The New Panda is celebrating its first 40 years and to do so, Fiat is renewing its functional icon and expanding the family with the New Panda Sport. The line-up now includes 5 trim levels, to represent the model’s three new souls. It will now be easier to choose the version that best meets the tastes and requirements of a customer more attentive to city style, the Life soul in the Panda, and City Life trim levels. For those who prefer a dynamic and characterful life, the Sport soul in the new Sport version; or for those with a yearning wanderlust, the Cross soul in the City Cross and Cross trim levels. From 1980 to the present day, Fiat’s iconic city car has won everyone’s hearts by breaking so many records: the overall best seller in Italy for 8 years running and the leader – together with the 500 – in the European city car market, with over 375,000 models sold per year. The New Fiat Panda, therefore, represents the natural evolution of an invention that has for 40 years always been synonymous with charm, ease of use, and versatility. Panda is all this and so much more: a ‘brand’ packed with functional and emotional value, a symbol of freedom to travel, but also a product that has become part of the collective unconscious, just like other results of Italian creativity: from the Fiat 500 to the Vespa Piaggio, from the Moka Bialetti to Bruno Munari’s Cubo ashtray.
The New Fiat Panda is the only city-car in the segment to boast a full range in terms of traction (4×2 and 4×4) and of engines (Hybrid, Petrol 4×4, CNG, and LPG). All enveloped in a familiar, robust, and reassuring ‘form’ that immediately conjures up charm and complicity when driven in both the city and on the remotest mountainside. Let alone the specifics that have brought it worldwide renown: compact exterior dimensions, configurable large interior space, and original color combinations. Factors in this success include the many special series launched in recent years to explore uncharted territory for a city car. Some of the latest special series – the 2018 Panda Waze and the 2019 Panda Wind and Panda Trussardi, known as “the most social” and “the Luxury Panda” respectively – have helped to make it the best-selling city car in Europe. The baton is now being passed to the New Panda, which reaches full maturity by taking another leap forward in terms of respect for the environment, technology, distinctiveness, fun, and functionality. Panda has always excelled in all these fields, with ingenious solutions that have enabled the ‘magic box’ to evolve over the years, while always remaining true to itself.
Aimed at a young, dynamic customer attracted to a sporty, characterful style, the New Panda Sport complements the “Fiat Sport family”, currently consisting of the 500X, 500L, and Tipo models. The new version is instantly recognizable from its distinctive aesthetics: the new two-tone 16″ alloy wheels with black and red rim covers; the handles and wing mirror housing in the same color as the bodywork, on-demand in gloss black paired with a black roof (optional); and the exclusive chrome “sport” logo on the side panel, above the direction indicator. A new and exclusive Matt Gray livery is also available. The same bold features can also be found in the interiors, where the standouts include the new titanium-colored dashboard, specific door panels in eco-leather, black ceiling, and new seats with dark gray upholstery, techno-leather details, fabric side panels, and red stitching. And for the customer who wants an even bolder image, the New Panda Spot can be fitted on demand with the Pandemonio Pack – a clear homage to the kit launched in 2006 on the Panda 100 HP – which includes red brake calipers, blacked-out windows, and the new techno-leather steering wheel with red stitching. Finally, features as standard include the new 7′” touchscreen radio with DAB digital system, set up for Apple CarPlay and compatible with Android Auto™, and a smartphone bracket.
The first variation in the new urban world of ‘Life’ is the Panda trim level, the gateway to the line-up: an accessible car packed with smart solutions, making it ideal for every kind of travel or transfer. The second trim is the genuine new feature in this soul: the New Panda City Life, the linchpin of the line-up, aimed at those who look for the best ratio between price and product substance in a city car, without sacrificing an attractive and distinctive style. The design of the Panda City Life includes new front bumpers, a brand-new insert in the side skirts, and the new 15″ ‘Life’ wheel rims, a perfect combination with the various contrasting black elements included as standard: from the roof rack to the side protective bands, from the wing mirror housing to the external handles. The urban soul is also showcased inside the passenger compartment, which includes two-tone gray seats and anthracite-colored dashboard, manual air conditioning, and Uconnect system complete with DAB radio, Bluetooth 2.1 technology, and a special smartphone mount installed on the dashboard (with the new 7″ touchscreen radio with DAB digital system, set up for Apple CarPlay and compatible with Android Auto™ and smartphone bracket on demand).
Mild Hybrid technology is now available across the New Fiat Panda line-up, providing all the benefits of efficient, compact, lightweight, and accessible hybrid driving. In short, it is the best city car solution and is perfectly in line with the approach taken by Fiat, an increasingly sustainable pioneer of technology and an innovator in mobility. The gasoline Mild Hybrid engine pairs the new Euro 6D Final-compliant 70 hp (51.5 kW) 3-cylinder 1-liter engine from the FireFly family with a BSG (Belt-integrated Starter Generator) electric motor. The latter recovers energy during braking and deceleration, stores it in a lithium battery with a capacity of 11 Ah, and uses it, at a peak output of 3.6 kW, to restart the engine in Stop&Start mode and to assist acceleration. Compared to the 1.2 69 hp Fire, the Panda’s Mild Hybrid engine improves fuel efficiency and reduces CO2 emissions by up to 30%, guaranteeing the same performance and ensuring a very high standard of comfort, even when restarting. The BSG system also means the internal combustion engine can restart very quietly and vibration-free when stopping and setting off again. The transmission takes on the new 6-speed gearbox, designed to further optimize the engine’s range of usage. The New Panda Hybrid also gives customers access to all the advantages of hybrid vehicle homologation, which – depending on local regulations – include freedom of access and movement in city centers, cheaper parking in towns, and tax breaks.
The third New Fiat Panda soul is ‘Cross’, available in the City Cross and Cross trims, with a distinctive and off-road character. Both versions are available with 4×2 and 4×4 traction, and can now be methane-powered. Specifically, the New Panda City Cross was designed for customers looking for a city car resembling an off-roader, at an accessible price: it is, therefore, a vehicle to take a break from the daily routine, to immerse yourself in exciting urban adventures. Aesthetically, the new model comes with the new Ceramic Blue pastel livery, a perfect combination with the new two-tone (blue and black) techno-leather upholstery on the door panels and seats, the latter embellished by silver-colored stitching and fabric side panels. In the center of the dashboard is the new 7″ touchscreen radio (optional) and automatic air conditioning, which comes as standard. The new Panda City Cross is complemented by LED DRL headlights and features in black, such as the roof rack and side sills, which accentuate its urban look. Finally, the new line-up is completed by the Panda Cross, the top-of-the-range trim level with an off-road character and appearance and the best equipment for those who want an all-inclusive car. It features stylish new 15″ wheel rims, double red tow hook below the bumper grille, chrome paintwork for skid plates, roof rack, and side shock absorber bands with the wording ‘cross’ in relief in black.
