Latest news with #FiatEurope
NZ Autocar
14-06-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Autocar
Fiat draws on Multipla for compact SUV due in 2027
Fiat's forthcoming Panda-based SUV could prove a modern Multipla when it arrives in 2027. Only without the dare-to-be-different looks. The new SUV is one of two models that the Italian is set to launch in the next two years, alongside a raised hatchback. They were previewed by Panda-inspired SUV and Fastback concepts unveiled last year. Both will be under 4.5 metres long and sit on the same Stellantis Smart Car platform as the smaller Grande Panda. The pair will therefore be offered with electric and hybrid powertrains. Fiat has hinted that it won't take the Panda name, despite using its mechanicals. The firm is normally associated with city cars. A move to the Golf-sized segment 'will be a challenge, because we don't have the same legacy with family movers as we do with 500 and Panda. But we do with the Multipla' said Fiat Europe boss, Gaetano Thorel. Then Fiat will have a reasonably full passenger car line-up, ranging from 2.5 to 4.4m. The Multipla was a 4m compact MPV with two rows of three seats. Its styling was divisive and the model was not a commercial success. However, it won praise for its quirky design. The new model will have a more traditional SUV appearance but will maximise space in a small footprint. It will share its platform with Citroën C3 Aircross that can seat seven. The Fastback concept will likely become a crossover that will serve as a spiritual successor to the Tipo. Fiat design boss, François Leboine, said future models would use design cues from the Grande Panda and elsewhere. But he insisted the brand won't fixate on retro designs. 'There is a retro flair on the products, but if you don't know the past, the products still have to work…for a new generation.'
Auto Car
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Car
Fiat's next SUV is giving big Multipla vibes
Fiat's forthcoming Dacia Bigster rival could channel the spirit of the cult-classic Multipla MPV when it arrives in 2027. The new SUV is one of two C-segment models that the Italian brand is set to launch in the next two years, alongside a rakish, raised hatchback. They were previewed by Panda-inspired SUV and Fastback concepts unveiled early last year. Those models will be a maximum of 4.5 metres long and sit on the same cost-conscious Stellantis Smart Car platform as the smaller Grande Panda, enabling them to be offered with electric and hybrid powertrains. While the new SUV will sit broadly as part of the Panda design family and distinct from the range inspired by the classic 500, Fiat bosses have hinted it won't necessarily feature that name. Asked about the risks of Fiat expanding beyond its core city car market into the C-segment, Fiat Europe boss Gaetano Thorel said: 'It will be a challenge, because [it seems] we don't have the same legacy with family movers as we do with [the] 500 and Panda, but in reality we have, because when you think about the Multipla, then Fiat has a story on that. 'But thanks to Stellantis, we have a possibility to offer our customers and dealers a full passengercar line-up from 2.5 metres to 4.4 metres. That is the Fiat territory.' The Multipla arrived in 1998 as a 4m-long compact MPV with two rows of three seats and a host of space-saving features. The styling was divisive and the model was not a commercial success, but it won praise for its design, with Autocar's 2000 road test calling it 'the most innovative and exciting car in its class'. The new model will have more of a traditional SUV appearance but could echo the Multipla in terms of maximising space in a small footprint. The Citroën C3 Aircross, which uses the same Smart Car platform as the Grande Panda, seats seven.
The Irish Sun
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
Cult-classic motor discontinued in the 90s set to RETURN as 4×4 with brand teasing ‘next chapter'
A CULT-classic car which was dropped in the 1990s is now set to make a comeback as a modern-day 4x4, as the manufacturer hints at the 'next chapter'. The original Fiat Panda was seen as a go-anywhere supermini and became a hit with its loyal band of fans. Advertisement 4 The Fiat Grande Panda looks set to get a 4x4 version Credit: Supplied 4 Fiat has so far released few details about the model but it will be part of the manufacturer's Smart Car platform Credit: Supplied Now, with the Italian firm's fast-growing line-up the dinky motor is being turned into the Fiat The original Panda 4x4 first hit our streets in 1983 and thanks to its raised height and rugged styling elements it soon became a cult classic, seen as an affordable off-roader. The new Grande Panda forms the base of the revived concept and is being offered with both 111bhp electric and 108bhp 1.2-litre mild-hybrid petrol powertrains. It will be part of Stellantis's new Smart Car platform, designed to appeal to cost-conscious drivers. Advertisement Read More on Fiat Fiat hasn't yet officially confirmed its production intent but has billed the Grande Panda 4x4 as 'the next chapter' and a 'potential true symbol of versatility, reliability and freedom'. Fiat Europe boss Gaetano Thorel hasn't officially confirmed the machine would reach production, but said: "Surely we will have this car on the road in the future – but not tomorrow,' reports Mr Thorel did add that there had been demand for a 4x4 version since the Grande Panda was first unveiled and that the company wanted to meet that demand. Full details about the vehicle's powertrain haven't been revealed, Fiat has referred to it as offering an 'electrified innovative rear axle'. Advertisement Most read in Motors Fiat engineers are still working on the potential four-wheel-drive powertrain and refused to give details on whether any production 4x4 would be electric or combustion-based. Fiat insiders have hinted it would have an electric motor powering the rear axle and use the Smart Car platform, reports the motoring magazine. I test drove the discontinued Fiat 500's electric replacement - it's quick but flaw means you can only use it in a city Details of that unit's size though have yet to be confirmed. There is speculation it could be a smaller e-axle which adds supplementary power , when needed. Advertisement The car's rival, the Dacia Duster 4x4, uses a similar mild-hybrid arrangement. Fiat's Grande Panda 4x4 concept also incorporates several bespoke design cues, such as dark red paint which hints at a special edition of the Panda 4x4. It also features steel wheels, special graphics on the doors which underscore the stamped Panda lettering and hint at traditional off-roader body cladding. There's also a protective underbody skidplate and a roof rack. Advertisement Fiat has also hinted that any production model would 'most likely feature other accessories'. The intention is to eventually position the Grande Panda as a global car and to manufacture it in factories on three continents. In order to meet those global requirements, it can utilise a number of powertrains including a manual pure ICE, a hybrid, full electric and even LPG. The manual ICE is set to launch in Europe later this year but it is not expected to be available in the UK at first due to the extra costs of right-hand drive conversion. Advertisement 4 The Grande Panda 4x4 is being billed as 'the next chapter' Credit: Supplied 4 Fiat's Grande Panda 4x4 concept also incorporates several bespoke design cues, such as dark red paint which hints at a special edition of the Panda 4x4
