Fiat Pandina: all photos and information

Fiat will be 125 years old this summer. Reason enough to give yourself a little birthday present; Even if the brand is no longer independent, it has slipped under the Stellantis umbrella. Now the prize is on the stage, just to watch for now: Fiat Pandina. What does it remind you of? Correct. The name refers to one of Fiat’s most successful models: the Panda.

Fiat Pandina: Far from minimalism

Millions of students have moved into their first home with the small Fiat Panda, once known as the “big box”, and almost as many craftsmen have developed their businesses. When it comes to packing, small felt like big.

Back when the little panda came to the streets, it seemed like almost a revolution. With its minimalism, it fits almost seamlessly into the lineage of the Fiat 500, Citroen’s Duck and the Renault R4. Its designer Giorgio Giugiaro once fondly called it a “household appliance on wheels”. For the design professor Paolo Tumminelli, on the other hand, who worked, among other things, in the Centro Stile Alfa Romeo worked, the Fiat Panda was “the last real Volkswagen.”

From a “big box” to a nice round oval

The first series alone was built more than four million times between the beginning of 1980 and the end of 2003. The third generation has now been rolling off the production line at the Pomigliano d’Arco factory near Naples since spring 2012. For Olivier Francois, The CEO of the Fiat brand, Pandina is a “nod to Italy’s love for the Fiat Panda”. Panda remains the market leader in Italy and the leader in its segment throughout Europe.

Technically optimized – Pandina with an SUV touch

Visually, at least, the Pandina no longer has much in common with the angular cult box of the past, but more with the current version: rounded, a little SUV-like and far from the minimalism of the first generation inside and out. The dimensions are similar to those of the current Panda: length 3686 mm, width 1,643 mm and height 1,551 mm.

Fiat is delighted that the Pandina is the “highest Panda of all time”. Six airbags and a range of different driving assistance systems are designed to ensure safety. These include lane assist, emergency stop assist and drowsiness warning. Also standard on board is traffic sign recognition, high beam assistant and cruise control.

Digital instruments and a small hybrid of 70 hp

This series also includes a fully digital instrument cluster in front of the driver and an infotainment system with a 7-inch touchscreen. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as well. Inside there is little trace of the minimalism of the early years. The seats are made of Seaqual yarn, which is made from waste fished from the sea. Pandina inscriptions are decorated everywhere. The dashboard is painted white with black control strips. Under the hood remains the same: a mild hybrid combustion engine with a displacement of one liter and 70 hp. It changes manually with six gears.

VW is throwing out all combustion engines – Fiat is keeping them

The Fiat Pandina will go on sale in Europe from summer 2024. It will run as an independent model series alongside the Panda. Fiat did not want to talk about the price yet. Of course, Fiat has not given on the electric car there will be other models in addition to the already successful 500. But Pandina is a clear statement that the Italians – quite different from Volkswagen, by the way – also want to keep those buyers who are well used to the economical combustion car.

By Juergen Wolff