Fiat is planning to build a new petrol-powered Panda alongside an all-electric successor, according to the company’s European boss Gaetano Thorel. The current Panda, launched in 2012, is no longer sold in the UK because of the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate. But it remains Italy’s best-selling car and accounted for more than 70% of Fiat’s sales there last year.
Thorel said the company has a duty to its “popola di Panda” — the Panda population — which alone holds a 7% share of the Italian market every month. “We need to find a multi-energy solution,” he told reporters. The comments reflect a reality in Southern Europe where EV uptake is dramatically lower than in Northern Europe.
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Fiat is working on an affordable city car priced under £15,000. That model will be twinned with the forthcoming Citroën 2CV revival from Stellantis. It is designed to take advantage of planned EU E-Car rules meant to enable small, cheap electric vehicles. This car would sit above the Topolino and Multiplina quadricycles in the electric range.
Thorel said the company “hadn’t decided yet” whether that new city EV would carry the Panda name. “The E-Car could be the next-gen Panda, but we haven’t decided yet,” he said. “It depends first on future regulations, and second that we, as Fiat, have a duty, particularly in Italy, to think of the millions of Panda owners and give them a solution in the future.”
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He didn’t rule out branding both the combustion and electric models as Panda. Fiat previously did this with the 500, offering petrol and electric versions under the same nameplate. Thorel wouldn’t specify whether the firm is considering a new combustion-powered Panda or continuing to update the existing model.
Stellantis has committed to building the two E-Car models at its plant in Pomigliano. The executive said that decision was “important for us because small cars are Italian territory and it means Pomigliano will have a future.” The factory’s future had been uncertain as the auto industry shifts toward electrification.
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The current Panda launched in 2011 and has been updated several times since. It remains popular in Italy partly because of its low price and compact size, suited to narrow city streets. Some analysts question whether the brand can maintain profitability on such low-margin small cars while investing in EV development.
European Union regulations are pushing automakers toward electric vehicles, but the pace of adoption varies widely across member states. Italy’s EV market share remains in single digits. Fiat’s plan to offer both powertrain options reflects the uneven transition happening across Europe.