A new Fiat Panda has been talked about since the car was previewed as a concept way back in 2019 but it's only now – with the help of Stellantis money – that the car looks close to becoming a reality.
So what can you expect? Well, the new Panda will come loaded with Italian brio, and with a litany of personalisation options for the exterior and interior. Power is likely to come from a small petrol engine to help keep the car’s price down, although an electric version is possible. Keep reading for everything we know so far.
2023 Fiat Panda: exterior and interior design
The new Fiat Panda will have the cutesy looks that have become a Fiat speciality when it comes to small cars, although a boxy shape means it’ll be practical for its size.
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Personalisation options are likely to be key to the Panda’s appeal. You can expect to be able to choose from a variety of bright colours, with contrast shades available for the roof, wheels and bumpers. If the concept car is anything to go by, you’ll even be able to specify a body wrap that fades from one colour to another down the length of the car.
Five doors will make it easy to access the Panda’s interior, and body cladding will help protect it from the kind of bumps and scrapes that are an everyday risk in any city centre. Fiat is also likely to offer the new Panda with a fabric roof that slides electrically to convert your city car into a cool five-seater convertible.
The interior is likely to have the same fun-but-practical feel as the exterior. Expect the cabin to be available in a variety of bright shades, with a simple digital instrument cluster and a modular dashboard that you can customise with clip-on features like coat hooks, additional storage, cup holders and the like. Even the pedal box has a fun side with the brake and accelerator operated by ‘minus’ and ‘plus’ pedals, respectively.
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Infotainment is expected to take the form of a large screen fitted with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which will give you all the functionality of an inbuilt system for a fraction of the cost.
The Panda’s square shape means it will be surprisingly roomy for its size, so four tall adults will fit at a push and the boot will swallow a large suitcase.
2023 Fiat Panda: engine and performance
The new Fiat Panda is expected to launch with a small petrol engine. That’ll likely take the form of the basic, 82bhp non-turbocharged three-cylinder PureTech petrol engine that’s already fitted to cars like the Citroen C3. Its mechanical simplicity will keep costs down while giving the Fiat nippy in-town performance. It should allow the Panda to return fuel economy of more than 55mpg.
Will the Panda be available as an electric car? It’s possible. The Centoventi concept which previewed the new Panda was electric-powered (it had removable batteries designed to circumvent the need for lengthy charge times). However, there is one major problem: price. It’s likely a battery-powered Panda would be too expensive to be viable in what would be an entry-level model without the posh image and trappings of cars like the Fiat 500e and MINI Electric.
What seems more likely is that the city car will be available as a roughty-toughty mini SUV to the tune of the old Panda 4x4, a popular model amongst rural communities who need a capable offroader, but don’t want to splash the cash on an expensive SUV. Such a car could get four-wheel drive based on the current Panda’s system, or stay two-wheel drive, using a version of the - surprisingly-capable - Grip Control traction control system fitted to Citroens.
2023 Fiat Panda: price and release date
Offering excellent value is one of the cornerstones of small Fiats, so you would expect the new Panda to undercut rivals like the Toyota Aygo X and Volkswagen Up, with a sub-£15,000 price tag. You can expect to hear firmer details in the middle of next year, with the car expected to be launched soon after.
We’ll have more news on the Fiat Panda when we get it, in the meantime, read our review of the current model.