Fiat celebrates 125th anniversary with the Grande Panda EV unveiling
The 125th anniversary celebration of the FIAT brand at La Pista 500, Turin, Italy, marked a great triumph for the company as it ticked over a milestone very few automotive manufacturers reach.
The ceremony was called “Smiling at the Future” where FIAT made a statement by showcasing the Grande Panda—the second all-electric consumer vehicle to enter its range—representing its unwavering focus on electrification.
The event wasn’t just a chance to see the new car, but to celebrate the incredible milestone of the company while paying homage to past, present, and future vehicles. FIAT treated the extensive number of guests to a show of its classic and current passenger cars as well as its commercial range.
“FIAT has been synonymous with social relevance over the last 125 years, offering our customers what they really need based on the times in which they are living,” says the CEO of FIAT and Global Chief Marketing Officer of Stellantis Olivier Francois, who spoke to the media alongside Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares and the Stellantis Chairman John Elkann.
“Our customers want iconic and affordable city cars; frugal and inclusive compacts; family mobility; commercial vehicles and, last but not the least, Abarth for everyday fun, which is exactly what FIAT offers.”
Alongside all the excitement, the Casa FIAT museum exhibition also launched, a catalogue of FIAT’s 125-year history built as an immersive, interactive walkthrough of the company’s heritage. The museum itinerary dates back to its founding year of 1899.
The Grande Panda is cheaper than the Fiat 500e?
The Grande Panda will come with a significantly low price tag of £22,000 for the all-electric model, and a hybrid version will also be available for £22,000. The values embedded within the design of the car are sustainability, inclusiveness, simplicity, and beauty—all of which play to the traditions of Italian design while embracing global change.
Designed at the FIAT Centro Stile, the Grande Panda has a customisable multi-energy platform that can be configured to suit the best powertrain for each customer. Therefore, the vehicle is seen as the first of its global range of vehicles. In the coming months, FIAT is set to address some key aspects of its latest platform, which will not be used, or “cannot be” used for the 500e due to its size. The multi-energy platform is said to be scalable from the size used in the Grande Panda, but the emphasis is on building better batteries.
The latest, electrified version of the iconic FIAT Panda is seen by the company as the ideal companion for families, and a great addition to the current urban mobility—staying true to its history as a provider of nippy, nimble city cars.
Although the company labels the car as a small family vehicle, it seems passengers in th Grande Panda get the same cramped feeling of the ICE Fiat 500. The driver, however, is presented with a rather unique style at the front and the company stays true to its claim of simplicity with minimal buttons and features beyond the digital dashboard and navigation displays. It’s important to remember, though, that the Grande Panda is a car for the lower end of the EV market.
A dual celebration of Italian brands: Fashion and FIAT combine
Also featured at La Pista 500 was a unique FIAT 500e, designed in collaboration with Giorgio Armani, which also marks the birthday of the Italian brand’s founder Maestro Giorgio Armani, and the beginning of a major partnership between the two companies.
Made exclusively at the FIAT Mirafiori plant, a model known as the 500e Giorgio Armani in two different colours—dark green and ceramic greige—one seen as a technical, contemporary colour (green) while the other a mark of sophistication and class.
FIAT presented both colourways to the press in an exclusive presentation, which also teased two new vehicles for its electric lineup. It seems the company is wholly committed to electrification, and we learned that the company has incredibly high ambitions to reach more markets.
