Fans of cute little Italian superminis, we have good news! The aging Fiat Panda and the discontinued Fiat Punto will reportedly be revived this year as all-electric vehicles in Stellantis’ big push toward electrification in the United States and Europe.
The report comes via Autocar, which writes that the Fiat 500-based Panda, introduced in its third generation back in 2011, will be transformed into a slightly bigger model that will take the shape of a B-segment SUV on the Old Continent.
Built on the same platform as the recently-revealed Jeep Avenger, the upcoming electrified Fiat Panda is slated to be built alongside its Jeep-branded cousin at the same Stellantis factory in Poland, as they will reportedly share the eCMP platform used in vehicles such as the Opel Corsa-e, Peugeot e-208, and DS 3 Crossback E-Tense.
As for the Punto, which was discontinued in 2018, it’s said it will be revitalized as a B-segment model, just like the Panda, in a push from Fiat to grow its lineup after years of neglect from the previous owner, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, which left it with just a handful of models on the market.
The source says Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, announced the two new electric Fiats during an earnings call and although he didn’t reveal the identity of the models, previous reports suggest that the Panda and Punto will be the first in line to get new generations, after the 500.
Stellantis plans on increasing its EV portfolio in Europe from 22 models currently to 30 this year and 42 by the end of 2024, and – according to an interview with Fiat’s boss, Oliver François – the Italian carmaker will make a big comeback in the highly competitive B-segment.
“There will be a big return in the B-segment and crossovers," François said for Autocar. "We’re going back to the most relevant segments. We only have the Fiat 500X now. My objective is to have three."
Besides the all-electric variants, the new Panda and Punto models might also be available with internal combustion engines, considering all the other cars based on the eCMP platform support both electric and ICE powertrains, including the Jeep Avenger, which slots under the Renegade.
In the small Jeep model, the electric system is made up of a single front-mounted electric motor that makes 115 kilowatts (154 horsepower) and 192 pound-feet (260 Newton-meters) of torque, as well as a 54 kilowatt-hours battery pack that offers a WLTP range of up to 249 miles (400 kilometers) on a single charge. So we can expect the two new Fiats to have a similar setup when they are revealed later this year.
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