General Is this the new Panda

[Chris Williams]

Hope not


http://www.just-auto.com/news/fiat-...-at-a-higher-price-than-planned_id168727.aspx

 

[puntofan01]

I wouldn't have thought that'll be sold in the UK: the current Panda is still fairly new.

 

[Chris Williams]

Someone said the new Panda is due in 2018 which is not that far away - they normally show it about a year earlier.

 

[The Pretender]

The rumor has it, that the new Panda would be based on the Brazilian Fiat Mobi.
Like the current Panda is based on the Brazilian Fiat UNO.

Personal i hope not, because the Mobi is butt ugly IMHO.

 

[puntofan01]

Perhaps the next Panda will use the engine and platform from the Mobi?

 

[quotethepigeon]

That's horrible.....like a jeep renegade , range rover evoque and an MG3 chop job lol

 

[TheR]

I don't hope so... They might use the platform but I expect Fiat to come up with something better and with strong Panda, dna design wise, as the Panda is and has been hugely popular in Italy and the rest of the European market.

 

[The Pretender]

The story say "New Fiat Mobi is built on a shortened Uno platform".
This means that it is build on a old floorplan.
I hope the new Panda will be built at least on the all new B-wide floorpan like the next 500 3-door.

 

[SB1500]

As already mentioned, the Panda since 2003 until now has been a key model for Fiat in so many ways and it's much more popular across Europe.

They have no call to cheap out on development, I'd say the Panda and 500 will always share a well developed up to scratch platform as they both embody Fiat recent historical success

 

[quotethepigeon]

I think Fiat already announced that Panda will be part of the budget line and 500 range premium.


lol premium!

 

[panda panda]

Isn't it just a refresh later this/next year for the current model?

Yes the idea of separating Fiat into budget and premium is just confusing.

A Panda 4x4 costs more than a well specced 500 so I can't see it working unless prices are going to be seriously hiked/lowered accordingly.

Personally having had both, I have to say the Panda is a better car to drive than the 500 anyway!

South American Fiat does its own thing pretty much, we never saw the new uno etc.

 

[The Pretender]

Apparently is this new Mobi build on a shortened brazilian Uno floorplan.
So in simple words, "Old Underpinning" is used to keep costs down.

I may hope the Next Gen "Panda" will get something new as a base to start from.
It should share a floorplan with the Next Gen new 500.

Here in Europe they can put the Mobi on the market as a budget Fiat under the Panda and call it "Topolino"

 

[oyumurtaci]

Floorpans and chassis development platforms are a bit of a joke in Fiat though. The roots of basically everything they make today can be traced back to the '03 Panda and the '05 Grande Punto platforms. They did such a good job with the 03 Panda that they just fiddled with that platform and came up with the 500, so everything small (500, Panda, Opel Adam) can be traced back to that platform. The larger 500L-X, Corsa current Punto, Linea (and to an extent the new Tipo/Egea) can all be traced back to the Grande Punto platform of 05. It is in part due to this stagnant development process that FCA is not doing too well, and industry sources indicate they haven't had anything truly new in development for ages. This means that they'll either have to pull an R&D miracle and come up with a new platform for Fiat to work with, or they'll die a slow death as they try to get along with platform sharing deals (like the Mazda MX-5/Spider 124) and truck sales from their U.S. branches while the benign tumor that is Lancia slowly dries up and falls off like a scab. Moving Alfa back to a RWD only platform was the smartest thing they've done in a decade.

 

[triumph7]

The rumor has it, that the new Panda would be based on the Brazilian Fiat Mobi.
Like the current Panda is based on the Brazilian Fiat UNO.

Personal i hope not, because the Mobi is butt ugly IMHO.

Agreed.....

 

[panda panda]

while the benign tumor that is Lancia slowly dries up and falls off like a scab

Never!

Saw more small lancia's ypsillons(?) in Italy than 500's last year, ok it may not be a global brand anymore but looks to be doing ok in the home market.

I don't know why Fiat doesn't utilise its different brands instead of having premium and economy lines within Fiat itself.

 

[The Pretender]

I believe the Fiat Panda and Lancia Ypsilon are the best selling FCA cars in Italy, much better then the normal 500 "3-door", and just of that, "not" 3-door cars.

 

[oyumurtaci]

That probably has a lot to do with the amount of kit they get. The top spec diesel dualogic skydome-equipped Y has more kit than a top-spec Audi A1 without options, has more room inside than pretty much all other superminis (longer wheelbase than the Panda so rear seats are actually usable for extended journeys) and costs less than a midrange Punto. Ironically, the same can't be said of the Fiat Bravo/Lancia Delta twins, as the Delta costs a lot more for the same spec, and is more of a status symbol. The Y, and even the really odd one that used to be based on the Fiat Idea have always outnumbered their Fiat counterparts in Italy though, as they've basically been equipped to sell well, while in other markets they priced them into Audi territory in other markets.

Edit: Also, on a more cultural note, as much as the Italians love their tiny little cars that can scream down their narrow cobblestone streets, they're also extremely fashion conscious. The 500 was a chic little retro fashionmobile when new. Now? They probably find it old hat and soooo last-year.