The new Fiat Panda concept looks like it came straight outta Toytown with Noddy and Big Ears on board – and that's a good thing if it means people get excited about a small city car. The original Panda was designed as a cheap, straightforward and incredibly practical small vehicle, which is why it's been a success for decades, and the new concept takes that spirit and brings it into the 2020s with a range of what Fiat calls "multi-energy" vehicles.
The new era Fiats are described by the firm as "children of the Panda" and the first one, a city car, will be revealed in July to coincide with the brand's 125 anniversary. But as the concept shows, the firm isn't looking backwards here: the same platform can be used for the cute city car pictured as well as a pickup truck, a hatchback, an SUV and a camper.
The new Pandas are expected to use the same platform as the newest Citroen C3, and will come with three different powertrains: pure EV, hybrid EV and petrol power.
Why isn't the new Panda a pure EV?
It looks like Fiat is hedging its bets here, as EV sales are slowing in most of the world while sales of hybrids have been increasing. Charging remains a key concern around EVs, and while it's an issue that's often overhyped by anti-EV voices those voices are likely to be having some effect on sales.
Fiat describes the new car as a "Mega Panda", which is best said aloud in a movie trailer voice, and it's going to be available globally. However the different models here are all concepts, so we don't yet know which if any will actually make it to market. It's likely that the ones that do will be somewhat less futuristic than the brightly hued models in the promotional pictures.
Fiat is a huge deal globally but a much smaller player in the US, where according to Jalopnik it only sold 605 cars in 2023 – and while the new Panda concepts are undeniably cute they're likely to be a tough sell in a market where even the greenest vehicles are getting bigger and heavier.
Things are very different in Europe, however, where small cars are much more popular. There, the Panda continues to sell six figures every year. Not bad for a car that's been with us since 1980.
