Fiat expects that the Grande Panda small hatchback will become its bestselling global model because it has universal appeal, CEO Olivier Francois said.
Fiat’s bestseller last year was the Strada, a small pickup built in Brazil and mostly sold in that country, with 144,000 sales. It was followed by the Europe-focused Panda minicar, with more than 122,000 sales (of which 99,000 were in Italy alone), then by the Tipo/Egea compact, with 96,000 sales, most of which were in Turkey.
Francois declined to give a sales target for the Grande Panda, which is built on Stellantis’ Smart Car platform that was originally developed for India and other non-European markets.
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Fiat was the No. 1 brand in Brazil, Italy and Turkey last year, with very different product lineup for specific markets and regions. Latin America was the brand’s largest region last year, with more than 581,000 sales; Europe was second with about 442,000.
“The truth is that the Fiat brand is still multi-regional” rather than global, Francois said Jan. 29 in an interview in Turin during test drives of the model.
A blue Grande Panda interior. The interior of the Grande Panda. (LUCA CIFERRI/CRAIN) Fiat’s European sales suffered in 2024 from the discontinuation of the ICE version of the 500 minicar car. A hybrid replacement, based on the slightly larger 500e electric vehicle, is still about a year away. The Grande Panda could help fill that gap.
Publishing Partner Sponsored Content from Kerrigan Advisors Publishing Partner: Sponsored Content from Kerrigan Advisors Kerrigan Advisors’ 2024 Dealer Survey Reveals Majority of Dealers Have Positive Outlook On Dealership Valuations in 2025 Kerrigan Advisors’ proprietary annual Dealer Survey of more than 635 dealers reveals that the majority of respondents maintain a positive outlook on valuations in 2025, driven by projected sales growth in new hybrid vehicle sales and fixed operations. The survey also queried dealers on their outlooks and acquisition preferences by franchise. Image Multimedia Content Fiat will begin deliveries of the Grande Panda, which is built in Serbia, in continental Europe in full electric and gasoline mild hybrid variants in March. Right-hand-drive models for the U.K. and Ireland will follow in summer.
A bronze color Fiat Grande Panda The Fiat Grande Panda, shown at the historic Lingotto complex in Turin, will be built in Serbia at first, then in Brazil. African production could follow. (LUCA CIFERRI/CRAIN) Francois said that production of the Grande Panda in Brazil will follow, without providing a firm date. In Brazil it will replace the Argo, a small car launched in 2017.
Fiat is also considering adding a third production site for the Grande Panda to cover the African continent. Stellantis has manufacturing operations in Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and South Africa.
Fiat is not planning to produce or sell the Grande Panda in North America and China.
Il CEO del marchio Fiat si aspetta che la Panda diventi il modello più venduto al mondo del marchio. Sarà sicuramente così dato che in Brasile sostituirà la Argo mentre in Europa questa grande Panda sarà di fatto l’erede spirituale della Punto. Il bacino di clienti potenziali è enorme, hanno un po’ sbagliato secondo me ad offrirla ad un prezzo un po’ più elevato della sorella C3, comunque dovrebbe arrivare tra un po’ la variante a cambio manuale che potrebbe far scendere il prezzo. Pur con tutti i compromessi fatti (la piattaforma di queste utilitarie di Stellantis è la versione impoverita della C MP, in realtà sviluppata esclusivamente per il mercato indiano e sudamericano) penso che i numeri per tutti i marchi saranno molto elevati. Pensate che il primo gruppo europeo ha deciso di non rinnovare le proprie utilitarie e di forzare la spinta verso l’elettrico con le B-MEB che arriveranno l’anno prossimo, sicuramente saranno offerte a partire da 25.000 €, quindi non competitive dal punto di vista dei prezzi rispetto ai modelli del gruppo Stellantis.
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