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The new Fiat Pand(in)a

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The new Fiat Pand(in)a

Bonefish Blues said:
Development mule.
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But what would they be developing?

Given the new Panda is larger than the old...it wouldn't fit under it. Also you could do it under a Pug body and no one would bat an eyelid.

Stellantis is unlikely to be developing more small petrol engines..they have one they like.
 
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Bonefish Blues said:
Development mule.
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I suspect that the panda in the picture is a development mule for the electric panda especially when you see the interior, but if you read the article they are basically saying they will continue to make the current/old panda for another 2 years and rename it the pandina,

Then release an electric only model which will replace the ICE version completely in 2 years time

Similar to what Fiat did with the “Punto classic” which was the mk2b Punto which they carried on selling till 2012 in some markets, the UK however may miss out as Fiat have announced that we will only get the electric version of the 600 while other markets will get a much cheaper ICE version of the 600
 
StevenRB45 said:
But what would they be developing?

Given the new Panda is larger than the old...it wouldn't fit under it. Also you could do it under a Pug body and no one would bat an eyelid.

Also Stellantis is unlikely to be developing more small petrol engines..they have one they like.
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Italian car makers quite often test new tech in old models, this has lead to some interesting cars such as the Ferrari 288 with a Ferrari F40 engine and running gear
 
Yes but given the size of the car unless they are testing running gear for the topolino it's likely they are testing bits to use on a Panda.

If it was to go on a Stellantis car they could hide it under a Corsa...or a 208 or a C3 or whatever. Using a Panda would suggest it's going to be small...also the platform is incompatible with the CMP stuff. Unless of course there's a new 100hp coming with a puretech turbo 🤣
 
StevenRB45 said:
Yes but given the size of the car unless they are testing running gear for the topolino it's likely they are testing bits to use on a Panda.

If it was to go on a Stellantis car they could hide it under a Corsa...or a 208 or a C3 or whatever. Using a Panda would suggest it's going to be small...also the platform is incompatible with the CMP stuff. Unless of course there's a new 100hp coming with a puretech turbo 🤣
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There is a possibility to keep it small they have based it on the 500e in which case it wouldn’t fit in a corsa or other bigger platform, also if they have compartmentalised the different brands they may have to buy a corsa if they want one so they just used what they had.

Many many years ago when I did work in the motor trade copart used to come pick up our knackered repossessions.

The drivers were a good laugh and they used to pick up all the test mules for people like Jaguar, landrover and other uk based brands, they said the cars were always “interesting” and always had to be destroyed completely with no parts being reused, they had inspectors come to make sure the cars were destroyed
 
Think my favourite was the Maestro van Freelander...

However similar to the 500e while technically it would just about fit under it the wheel base, track and ride height are different so it wouldn't sit naturally under it.

1.jpg


We'll see...it's just a very odd thing to be doing development with for anything other than a Panda or an Ice 500.
 
The Pandina is looking gooooood.

- Current Panda ✅
- More safety kit (high tech variety) ✅
- Digital modern instrument cluster ✅
- On sale ALONGSIDE the ‘new 208 Panda’ ✅
- Assumed maintaining current entry price ✅
- Fiat DNA living on longer in the 2020s ✅

Now… if they can make it a modern automatic. Maybe a decent Hybrid. I might consider one.


Got an email today “introducing the Corsa Hybrid”. Dual clutch auto.

It’s becoming clear to me that the EV downfall has already started. PSA see it. They seem to be putting ‘enough’ R&D into a competent and possibly competitive with Toyota / Kia HYBRID drivetrains.

Given that we’re light years away from affordable and small EVs. Perhaps the all new ‘electric Panda’ won’t be far off the 500E price wise. The only way to make it affordable and appeal to existing Panda owners will be a Hybrid drivetrain.

It would be nice to see a proper hybrid in the existing (or soon to be released) “Pandina”.

Seems a bit more weight - especially at the BACK - would help it in a crash as it’s very light and bouncy when crashed front on. Plus the safety kit to keep the bureaucrats at NCAP happy…

I like it. Good old Fiat. Just when we thought they couldn’t ‘beat a dead horse’ any longer than they have, they’ve found a way to keep it alive for another few years 😍 giving the people what they want (as evidenced by sustained massive sales across the European continent) - not an insignificant population of people 😊
 
SB1500 said:
Oh god…. As if the mass market who still make ‘fix it again Tony’ jokes about FIAT need a any legitimate fuel for their fire when people start finding oil leaks in their <1 year old Panda’s 😳
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To be fair my Fiat experience was if there wasn't oil under it you'd ran out..

But your mileage may vary.
 
Steering wheel looks to be out of a Fiat 500x, probably the most modern one they had that didn’t say “500” in big letters in the middle like the 500e does. Also no tail pipe, the panda has a tail pipe on the left just below the bumper

Aside from the dash binnacle the rest of the dash looks like the old/current panda. Definitely drive train testing

Of course we could all be wrong and it’s just a standard panda with some tweaks to the already existing hybrid system.
 
As the article suggests it may just be them doing enough to keep it on sale for a few years until they see how the new electric Panda and Topolino land in Italy.

Mild refresh to make it less antiquated..

The lack of exhaust points to nothing in particular.

3-fiat-panda-cross-hybrid-2020-fd-hero-rear.jpg


Although 4 parking sensors is oddly enough apparently not a Panda thing looking at this picture. They could be testing integration of a new system with new information screens. 500e appears to have 3 as well....PSA use 4.
 
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StevenRB45 said:
As the article suggests it may just be them doing enough to keep it on sale for a few years until they see how the new electric Panda and Topolino land in Italy.

Mild refresh to make it less antiquated..

The lack of exhaust points to nothing in particular.

View attachment 437647

Although 4 parking sensors is oddly enough apparently not a Panda thing looking at this picture. Although they could be testing integration of a new system with new information screens.
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My understanding of the motor used in the Fiat 500e is that the outputs are basically the same as the old standard gearbox used in panda, puntos and 500s with the 1.2 engine for donkeys years so it’s reasonable they could just drop one in a panda.

4 parking sensors is odd. And with a 500x steering wheel as you say they could just be testing systems. Upgrading the 500x to a digital dash for example
 
Interesting..

If it was JUST FIAT it was unlikely have taken 13 years to start "updating", other than firefly drive train it's not looking much different to our 2012/13 cars

Obviously Stellantis and Electric are messing with anything we've seen before

Interesting times (not keen on the name, but better than "Pandalika" I suppose 😉)
 
AndyRKett said:
My understanding of the motor used in the Fiat 500e is that the outputs are basically the same as the old standard gearbox used in panda, puntos and 500s with the 1.2 engine for donkeys years so it’s reasonable they could just drop one in a panda.
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The motor perhaps but there would be nowhere to put the battery, also wouldn't it have a drive selector rather than a manual gearknob?

Obviously you could spoof these things but it's unlikely they'll put several 100 hours of fabrication and development into something for a prototype that isn't going to be used again in a production model.

Also given the Panda is on a totally different electric system to all Fiats that come after it's an odd place to do electrical development. You'd have to rewire it to act like a Stellantis car..rather say using a Stellantis car.
 
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StevenRB45 said:
it have a drive selector rather than a manual gearknob?
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A very valid point

looking at the images more closely this morning, the key seems to lay in the centre top of the dash, there is no vents on the top of the dash as you would have if you had the half din basic radio without a touch screen, but there are no vents below that which you would get if you had the touch screen on top of the dash. There appears to be some buttons on the right of where a half din radio would go. It’s got a 500x steering wheel and the dash binnacle is obviously a new LCD type design as stated In the article. The panda steering wheel is very different in terms of its button configuration. So it maybe this is just a car used to develop a new dash display for something like a facelifted 500x.

It’s no hardship for Fiat to swap CAN modules between cars as they have all the source code to do so. And yes they could use a 500x for it but if they are early days in development using a panda as a test mule to prove a concept is much cheaper. Added to the fact it’s got the 4 parking sensors on the back not 3 and it basically appears to be missing any sort of infotainment system in the middle of the dash it’s clearly something being used to develop electronics it may have nothing at all to do with any future panda
 
God knows...

They might be looking at fitting PSA engines as feasibility study...given the LCD instrument cluster could well be the one fitted to the 208 and Corsa etc. But you'd imagine the rework would be prohibitive at this point in the cars life. But you never know swapping one triple for another might be doable.

They might just be looking into what bits can be made to work with the existing 500x and Panda.

Could actually be looking at updating the old Panda as a "halfway house". The Stellantis Panda will be very alien I would imagine compared to the old Panda which will likely turn quite a few people off...so take an old Panda put a touchscreen and LCD dash in it from Stellantis for them to buy instead and then when the come to replace that and the old Panda isn't available anymore the new Panda feels a bit familiar.

One thing is reasonably certain though...Fiat group has been developing more products in the last 12 months than it managed in 12 years as FCA.
 
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StevenRB45 said:
Think my favourite was the Maestro van Freelander...

However similar to the 500e while technically it would just about fit under it the wheel base, track and ride height are different so it wouldn't sit naturally under it.

View attachment 437638

We'll see...it's just a very odd thing to be doing development with for anything other than a Panda or an Ice 500.
Click to expand...
Thats a great idea. Better than either of the donors!
 
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