Hey everybody, sales of a favourite bear arnt going through the roof in Oz ( of course Fiat Australia could start some advertising instead of saturating the television with 500 and Punto adds) so sad, this could mean extinction from our shores just like the Fiat Ritmo (Bravo to everybody else) from a few years ago.

??????????

I am afraid that the Panda appears to be borrowed time in Oz. A number of reasons;

The pricing is way OTT and way outta kilter in our market place. Sure the 1.2 Pop is not too bad but add some goodies and it rapidly rises to the point it is pitched against some cars at offer more and in the next class up – all superficial of course. The top of the line Panda can top $30K – that will buy a lot of other cars !!! Hell, a mid-spec Alfa Giulietta is cheaper and about the same price as a Fiesta ST !! . Even the base 1.2 Pop is priced more than the 500 1.2 Pop, but without the obvious chic of the 500.

But to be honest this class of car has little appeal in Oz. The VW Up will soon pull out of Oz and that was at one stage selling MY13 cars for $13K. Australians do not see any virtue in small capable cars – in general. I have only seen one “in the wild” and I live / work in the inner city where 500’s are relatively common

A shame as I really rate the Panda and I could see the time when I would trade my Giulietta QV for a well spec’ed TA Trekking

I've had my panda for a week now and love it (1.2 pop). I found the real world price far better than the 500 (sub 13k with mats and TomTom). The only issue is the dealer using two self tappers to attach the small NSW plate directly to the tailgate leaving bare metal exposed.

I took the 1.2 for a test drive on the weekend, and I absolutely loved it. How well does the A/C work, though? It was about 25 degrees and it didn't seem that cold on the test car.

hello new here, I have got the panda lounge 2013 model and I love it, just about to get my p's lol.

YAAAYYY!??????

Thanks for responding fellow aussie panda people!!!

Mines just gotten to 8000km and its going great!!

A/c and hearing is fantastic - especially in 40 degree WA heat!! And my car is black??


Love them dearly!!!

Joseph500 said:

I am afraid that the Panda appears to be borrowed time in Oz. A number of reasons;

The pricing is way OTT and way outta kilter in our market place. Sure the 1.2 Pop is not too bad but add some goodies and it rapidly rises to the point it is pitched against some cars at offer more and in the next class up – all superficial of course. The top of the line Panda can top $30K – that will buy a lot of other cars !!! Hell, a mid-spec Alfa Giulietta is cheaper and about the same price as a Fiesta ST !! . Even the base 1.2 Pop is priced more than the 500 1.2 Pop, but without the obvious chic of the 500.

But to be honest this class of car has little appeal in Oz. The VW Up will soon pull out of Oz and that was at one stage selling MY13 cars for $13K. Australians do not see any virtue in small capable cars – in general. I have only seen one “in the wild” and I live / work in the inner city where 500’s are relatively common

A shame as I really rate the Panda and I could see the time when I would trade my Giulietta QV for a well spec’ed TA Trekking

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Your prediction is correct. I enquired about ordering a new Panda today and was told that it is being discontinued in Australia. A shame really but I don't believe Fiat marketed and priced the Panda correctly.

cattard said:

Your prediction is correct. I enquired about ordering a new Panda today and was told that it is being discontinued in Australia. A shame really but I don't believe Fiat marketed and priced the Panda correctly.

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Bummer

Yeah, you're right about the marketing. I can only ever remember seeing 1 or 2 ads on TV in early 2014 for them; versus the constant barrage of 500 commercials.

So with the Panda being withdrawn, it'll be interesting to see what this means for those of us who already have one or planning on buying one. I hope Fiat don't just give up on the after sales service/parts supply as well.

Is it likely that they'll drop the 14,500 drive away price on the Pop?

I've had my TA Easy manual since Jul 14. A lot of car journos love the Panda for its all round capability, but I didn't even consider it at the full official price - $19,500 plus on-roads. That's what is considered a light car at a small-car price.

However, in mid-14 some Melbourne dealers began tearing up money on the Panda to shift cars. I suspect it was because they were also Jeep dealers - Jeep is selling very well - so they were able to shift the loss on Panda to Jeep. I don't really know, just guessing. The point is I could not do better than $16,500 + ORC here in Sydney, and I bought my car for $10,600 +ORC in Melbourne. Sure, I had to fly down and pick it up and drive it back, but just under $12k on the road versus about $21k on the road is a big difference.

I've now done approx 3500km, and the surprise is just how capable this car is. It'll handle the highway just as well as around town. It needs cruise control, which will fit soon, as well as a Magnetti Marelli ME111T tuning box. The only disappointment is fuel consumption - I used to have a Citroen C2 VTR and it used about 8.2L/100km in a worst-case, short trips scenario. The Panda uses more than that, although is prob as quick as the C2 and more responsive.

As they are trying to get rid of floor stock, you can pick up a 2013 Panda Pop manual for $12.5K drive away and an Easy dualogic for $18.5K drive away here in Sydney. I am tempted, but will probably go with a 500 now, as I want a Particular colour and leather seats etc.

cattard said:

As they are trying to get rid of floor stock, you can pick up a 2013 Panda Pop manual for $12.5K drive away and an Easy dualogic for $18.5K drive away here in Sydney. I am tempted, but will probably go with a 500 now, as I want a Particular colour and leather seats etc.

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If the colour is available with Panda, I'd suggest you'd probably be able to get it. As for price, try Melbourne. I don't know why really thay are sooo much cheaper than Sydney, but you could pay online and get it trucked up and still save thousands of dollars. Last I heard an Easy TA Duologic was 14k in Melb. I think if you offered $12.5k +ORC you would still get it...

AusPanda said:

.... It needs cruise control, which will fit soon, ....

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Have you looked into this and do you have a recommendation for an after-market Cruise Control kit? I too would like one and am looking for advice! Thanks.

R1NGA said:

Have you looked into this and do you have a recommendation for an after-market Cruise Control kit? I too would like one and am looking for advice! Thanks.

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No I've just been Googling and seeing what's out there. I'll post here when I get a firm lead on a good CC kit. Main problem is getting one that looks like it belongs on the dash or steering column. It seems most non-vacuum universal kits will probably work okay with the Panda, but as I said, I haven't looked that hard yet.

The official line from FCA is that the Panda is not being discontinued.

They might not want to order cars from Italy just yet because if you go to carsales and check how many new ones are for sale (that is, 2013 stock) there are more than 100.

No point ordering fresh cars when you can't sell the ones you already have...

Not saying they won't bone the Panda, but clearly they have a way to go before reaching that decision.

I actually enquired through fiat australia facebook page and they are not getting discontinued aparently.

maybe they will introduce panda 4x4 best suited for ausie area

Panda Easy Twin Air manual now $10k drive-away in Sydney. Take your pick of colour...

I've done my part. I'm now the proud owner of an ex-demo Pop

AusPanda said:

Panda Easy Twin Air manual now $10k drive-away in Sydney. Take your pick of colour...

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wow! thats crazy!
here in nz its still nzd$14,990 !