IAA 2011: Fiat Ready to Conquer the City Car Segment with All-New Panda

The most important debut from a sales point of view for the Fiat Group at the Frankfurt Motor Show is the brand-new, third generation Fiat Panda city car. With more than 6.5 million sales spread over two generations and 31 years, the Panda is one of Fiat's most successful models.

The 2012 Panda has been completely renewed and comes with a larger body, fresh looks, improved versatility and a new range of engines.

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Fiat’s 2012 Nuova Panda to Fight for City-Car Supremacy

Replacing a car with a 31-year long history is never an easy task. Especially if it has become one of Fiat's most successful city cars offering ample interior space and practicality for its size.

The first generation of the model introduced in 1980, was the first city car to offer a diesel engine (1986), four-wheel drive (1983) and one of the first electric variants (the Elettra in 1990), while the second generation Panda that was launched in 2003, managed to keep Fiat afloat and formed the base for the successful 500.

Now it's time for Fiat to lift the wraps on the third iteration of the Panda that will make its world premiere in Frankfurt. The “Nuova” (that’s Italian for new) Panda has grown in dimensions compared to its predecessor measuring 3,650 mm long (vs 3,538), 1,640 mm wide (vs 1,578) and 1,550 mm tall (vs 1,450).

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Report: Fiat to Begin Assembly of New 2012 Panda Mini in November

The first examples of the successor to Fiat’s current generation Panda city car will roll off the production line in Italy this November, according to a top Fiat executive. The third generation of the Panda is scheduled to make its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in mid-September.

"We are on track in refurbishing Pomigliano, which will become a truly state-of-the-art plant when it begins production in November," Fiat Group chief manufacturing officer Stefan Ketter told Autonews Europe.

Last year, Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne announced that the updated Pomigliano d'Arco plant in central Italy would manufacturer the new Panda as part of the firm’s “Fabbrica Italia” (Italian factory) plan to increase vehicle productivity in Italy from around 650,000 units in 2010 to approximately 1.4 million cars in 2014.

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New Fiat Panda 4x4 Glam Edition

Fiat has just launched a new special edition version of its diminutive off-road model for the Italian market. What makes the Panda 4x4 Glam Edition special in Fiat's eyes is the new pearl white finish that's complemented by the aluminum roof bars and the newly styled 15-inch alloy wheels. Similarly, interior mods are limited to the new jean-like seat and door-panel fabrics along with the decorative aluminum trim on the dash. Power for the Panda 4x4 Glam Edition comes from either a 60HP 1.2-liter petrol unit or a 70HP 1.3-liter turbo diesel engine with prices in Italy set at €14,800 and €16,910 respectively.

Fiat Panda Cross Goes on Sale in the UK

Fiat’s stylish version of the Panda 4x4 has finally crossed the English Channel offering UK buyers an alternative proposition in the mini SUV segment. The Panda Cross, which has been available for quite some time in other European markets, stands out from the Panda 4x4 thanks to the new fascia with round light units, the chunky side protection strips in contrasting colours, roof-bars, 15-inch alloys, round taillights and new bumpers. Inside the Cross comes equipped with special two-tone interior trims.

The Panda Cross gets a permanent four-wheel drive system with a viscous coupling and an electronic differential lock while power is provided by Fiat’s 70HP 1.3-liter turbo diesel engine. According to Fiat, the Panda Cross returns 42.1 mpg UK on the urban cycle, 67.3 mpg UK extra-urban, and 54.3 mpg UK (45.2 mpg US) combined. The CO₂ figure is 136 g/km. -Continued

Priced from 11,995 GBP on-the-road, The mini SUV’s standard equipment list includes ESP, air conditioning, radio and MP3-compatible CD player with steering wheel audio controls, and electric power steering.

Blind Justice? Chinese Court Dismisses Fiat’s Claims Against Great Wall

Just a week after a Turin court banned Great Wall from importing the GWPeri into Europe on the basis that it closely resembled Fiat's Panda minicar, and a Chinese court in Hong Kong dismissed Fiat’s claims for infringement by the Chinese car maker. Reuters also reported that Fiat was ordered by the Shijiazhuang Intermediate People's Court to pay 8,800 yuan or about $1,300 in legal fees. As you can see in these pictures here, apparently justice is blind in China...

China’s Great Wall Banned from Importing Panda Clone to Europe

Following in the footsteps of BMW that managed to stop the Chinese Shuanghuan CEO SUV from being imported into Germany, Fiat has won a court order against China’s auto manufacturer Great Wall Motors (GWM) banning the latter from bringing the GWPeri to Europe. The Italian carmaker had sued GWM both in Italy and China. In the case of the Turin court, it was ruled that the GWPeri looked to close for comfort with the Italian carmaker’s Panda minicar –wonder why…

Under the ruling, Great Wall Motors (see the clones here) should pay a €15,000 or $28,000 fine for importing the first example into Europe. If the Chinese carmaker decides to violate the ruling, GWM will be fined a further €50,000 per car brought into the region. Images of both the GWPeri and the Fiat Panda after the jump. -Continued

GWPeri

Fiat Panda

New Fiat Panda Eco with 5.0lt/100 km or 47MPG Avg. Consumption

As its name suggests, the newest addition in the Fiat Panda family is an eco-friendly model with low CO2 emissions and reduced fuel consumption. Based on the Panda 1.1, the 54Hp strong Eco emits 119 g/km of CO2 and features an average consumption in the combined cycle of 5.0 lt/100 km or 47MPG (US). That’s compared to the standard Panda 1.1’s 132 g/km of CO2 and 5.6 lt/100 km.

To achieve these figures, Fiat’s engineers improved the Panda 1.1’s aerodynamics, updated the engine’s electronic control unit, replaced the oil inside the transmission with one that produces less friction and finally, used a set of low rolling resistance tires. Prices for the Fiat Panda in Italy start from €8,830 (about $14,000).