The new Panda is the consistent
evolution of an invention that in its 31-year history has always been
likeable, versatile and easy to use. The Panda is all this and something
more: a brand rich in strong rational and emotional value, a car of
which more than 6.4 million units have been produced, and which has won
16 million drivers different from one another in terms of taste, age,
nationality and background. A best seller which has significantly
contributed to the undisputed leadership of Fiat in this segment: from
the first 600 to the 500, from the 126 to the first Panda, from the
Cinquecento to the Seicento, from the second generation Panda (2003) to
the new 500 launched in 2007. Fiat has always been the point of
reference of the city-car segment in Europe due to its unrivalled
expertise developed in the continental cities.
The third generation
of the Panda model springs forth from this technical and human heritage.
It comes of age offering more quality in terms of space, comfort,
functionality, technology and safety features. It combines the best
features of the first- and second-generation cars. This intelligent
vehicle is ideal for those wanting to combine the practical handling of a
city car with the space and comfort of a five-door compact car. All
this is further enhanced by a modern and harmonious look which exalts
that pleasant appearance of the Panda that by now has become a part of
our collective memory just like other objects resulting from Italian
creativity, from the Fiat 500 to the Vespa Piaggio, Moka Bialetti and
Cubo by Bruno Munari. Unique products that can neither be judged by
their appearance nor just represent a good engineering exercise. Instead
they are powerful alchemies, innovative in their design and concept
that redefine the common points of reference and comparison. When this
happens, essential masterpieces in the history of industry are born. The
Fiat Panda is one of these.
Simply Panda
Panda is the byword for substance,
practicality and usefulness. There is a concept of beauty connected to
making all of this visible and perceptible, a concept pursued throughout
the new Panda design procedure. Now at its third generation, the Panda
is improving each of its elements both functionally and in attention to
detail. The result is of great overall harmony, due to applying signs
consistent with one another that increases its usability and pleasing
design values.
Starting from the concept that every one of us has
different requirements, the new car makes maximum use of the interior
space, rationalising the dimensions. Although continuing to be a very
compact car, the Panda has grown just a few centimetres to ensure the
attainment of the highest standards of safety and improve the generous
level of passenger room.
With a length of 365 centimetres, a width
of 164 and a height of 155, and with five doors, the new Panda can
comfortably accommodate up to five people and it has one of the most
spacious boots in its segment: 225 litres which become 260 with the
sliding rear seat in the fully forward position up to the point of
reaching 870 litres with the backrest of the rear seats folded down.
Fiat
Panda offers maximum freedom of use due to the modularity of its space,
the numerous storage compartments and a wide array of front and rear
seat configurations. Besides, every one of us has our own lifestyle, a
personal relationship with our own objects, our own way of distributing
them in space. And of finding them again. So in this sense the new model
is a place to fill in an entirely personal way, but at the same time it
is a place that you are glad to share with others, just as if it were a
cozy Italian home full of warmth and generosity. The exteriors are also
distinguished by an unmistakable "Italian style", a "Mediterranean"
stylistic language where the smooth shapes give it an appealing, solid
and protective look.
More Panda
The new Panda is generous and
intelligent because it makes innovative features that simplify and
improve life on-board accessible to everyone. After all, these days
people who choose a compact car do not want to forgo the technology
generally reserved for cars of higher segments. The Panda manages to
accommodate these needs with the need for sustainable, safe mobility
that is accessible both in terms of price and running costs. Thus it
combines the best features of the first- and second-generation cars.
This is a new intelligent solution especially in such uncertain economic
times.
Specifically, behind that fun and confident appearance, the
Panda offers sophisticated technological solutions which are nonetheless
straightforward to use and satisfy both the concrete needs of everyday
mobility as well as the growing social awareness of the environment and
safety issues. Here then are two new highly valuable devices which
buyers would only expect to find on cars from superior segments, namely:
the "Low Speed Collision Mitigation" braking system and the
"Blue&Me TomTom 2 LIVE" navigation system. Contents such as
Start&Stop, Gear Shift Indicator (GSI), ecoDrive and ECO mode of the
TwinAir Turbo engine are added to these. Acronyms which are now part of
the standard terminology that Fiat has contributed to create and
develop and which are now grouped together in "Air Technologies", the
Fiat brand that identifies the low environmental impact technologies
which team eco-friendliness with driving satisfaction.
That
philosophy led to defining the range of engines, all champions of fuel
consumption, emissions and performance. Standing out are the brand new
two-cylinder engines equipped with the Start&Stop system as
standard: 85 HP 0.9 TwinAir Turbo, named "International Engine of the
Year 2011", and the brand new 65 HP 0.9 aspirated TwinAir, adopted for
the first time. The renewed 69 HP 1.2 Fire petrol engine and the 75 HP
1.3 Multijet II, also with Start&Stop supplied standard, complete
the range of engines.
At its launch, the new model is available with
front-wheel drive - then the Panda 4x4 will make its debut - and offers
3 trim levels (Pop, Easy and Lounge), 10 body colours, 9 interior
environments, 2 hub caps and 2 14" and 15" alloy wheels. The new
contents include the "Blue&Me TomTom LIVE" that combines the
advantages of an infotainment system which is integrated and connected
with those of a portable navigation system, opening the doors to
connectivity. Afterwards the innovative optional LSCM (Low Speed
Collision Mitigation) braking system will become available. It can
detect an obstacle present nearby and automatically brake at speeds
slower than 30 km/h.
In short, everything is a whole lot easier with
Panda. It is easier to move, to park, to find the right amount of space
and to adjust the vehicle to suit you, so that you can feel at ease and
interact with others. Important solutions that are expressed in a
philosophy of life. Besides, before being a car the Panda is an idea
that has generated another way of experiencing a car in total freedom.
That's because today as always, whoever chooses a Panda is free from the
conventional mould, fashions and classifications. In a sense, you could
say that it is a non-conformist car, which from its very first
generation was able to astonish with simple yet not obvious solutions.
It is precisely its vocation for structural and constructive simplicity
that now allows it to further evolve without ever losing its true nature
of revolutionary car. Suffice it to say that it was the first car of
its segment to bear the prestigious title of "Car of the Year 2004". It
was the first compact to feature a diesel engine (1986) and it was the
first to offer both four-wheel drive (1983) and a range of eco-friendly
engines designed to limit fuel consumption (the Panda Elettra was
introduced in 1990, one of the first electric cars). It was the first
4x4 city car to reach Everest's base camp at an altitude of 5,200 metres
(2004).
Totally Italian
Icon of design and Italian know-how, the
new Panda is the evolution of a successful model and destined to
confirm Fiat's position as undisputed leader in the city-car category.
For this reason, Fiat Group Automobiles has set its sights on ensuring
top quality throughout the entire product development process and its
engineering. Such a design could only be manufactured in an equally
advanced factory, one redesigned with the same criteria. This is why the
new model is made in Pomigliano d'Arco, near Naples. The industrial
area has been entirely refurbished for the event with new systems,
particularly in the body-in-white and assembly sector, and an innovative
"Quality Centre". More than being simply the most advanced Fiat has,
these new systems are also among the most advanced in the world.
The
Giambattista Vico plant was brought to technological and organisational
excellence in a record time of 12 months and with a total investment of
Euro 800 million in both machinery and people, for whom to the present
day 200 thousand hours of training have been put in.
The result is a
car that represents the passion and the design and building ability of a
brand born over a century ago. The heritage of Fiat is all this and
more, combined with the commitment and professional pride of thousands
of people - engineers, factory workers, executives - who have followed
one another over the years in the factories and in the offices.
A 31-year success story
The Panda went down in automotive
history in 1980 when Fiat presented the first model at the Geneva Motor
Show, the result of research started in 1976. With the Panda an idea was
born, an idea which has generated another way of experiencing a car:
simple, democratic, fun and at the same time revolutionary owing to its
intuitive and brilliant solutions. It was the first generation of one of
the most highly appreciated European city cars that never ceases to
amaze. In a three-year period it was enriched with the textile sun-roof
version and the four-wheel drive version, and in July 1984 the one
millionth Panda produced after only four years from its birth arrived.
Its
success was renewed in 1986 with the second series of the first
generation. The engines were one of the major innovations. The new 34 HP
and 45 HP FIRE 769cc and 999cc replaced the 652cc and 903cc. The diesel
engine was also introduced. But what did not change was the customer's
love for this car. Over the next two years it surpassed the threshold of
2 million units produced, and in 1990 the range grew, enriched with the
futuristic Panda Elettra, the first version fitted with an electric
motor. The first-generation Panda was produced up until 2003. Up until
the very last minute it held one of the top spots in the rankings of
utility cars purchased.
The moment of the second generation arrived
in September 2003. The Fiat Panda was launched on the market with a
design that interpreted the new style trends. It abandoned the
three-door bodywork and grew 13 centimetres longer and a dozen wider to
make room for a comfortable five-door MPV configuration. And it was
immediately a hit. It was the first car in this segment to be awarded
the prestigious "Car of The Year 2004" title. The model became a
downright "platform" on which Fiat created an entire family of cars
boasting technology and attention to detail worthy of a higher category.
In 2007 the one millionth second generation unit rolled off the line.
About 6 million first and second-generation Pandas were produced.
Now
it is the turn of the third-generation Fiat Panda to continue down this
path embarked on 31 years ago on the roads of the world.
