Fiat Panda Design Story

TURIN, ITALY – October 19, 2011: After the world preview at the Frankfurt Motor Show, here is the design of the new Panda presented in an exclusive document, full of unique illustrations, produced by the Centro Stile Fiat. An intuitive, fun way of describing the many new style features and functional details of the new Panda.

Although still very compact, the new Panda has grown by just a few centimetres to reach the highest safety standards and improve the generous dimensions of the passenger compartment and boot even further. In addition, modularity is enhanced by numerous storage compartments and a wide array of front and rear seat configurations.

In particular, the new model has been restyled on the outside with soft, rounded lines on a regular, very effective volume for exploiting space. Its front has a strong personality with a slightly convex bonnet mating with an elegant horizontal grille and new rounded headlamps accented by separate supplementary Daytime Running Lights.

The side view has also been updated by reinterpreting several distinctive features of the second-generation Fiat Panda such as the third window, now with rounder angles in harmony with the softer shape of the exteriors to create the effect of an uninterrupted glazed surface stretching back up to the vertical rear light clusters. Smooth, rounded shapes are also found in the strips applied to bumpers and side panels which in addition to paying tribute to the first-generation Fiat Panda also accentuate the "all-terrain" look of the model, which is confirmed by the pronounced wheel arches. Finally, as on the current model, the lower section of the tailgate protrudes with respect to the rear window. This, combined with the side line, gives a distinct impression of a roof panel resting on the bodywork.

The interiors are a continuation of the stylistic choices made for the exteriors. The result is a spacious, functional and comfortable passenger compartment, which can bear comparison with that of higher category cars. It is a well-known fact that flexibility has always been one of the strengths of the Panda, as proven by the split and sliding rear seat and the front passenger seat backrest, which can be folded down to form a table. This equipment, exclusive in its category, combined with the cargo box option for the boot, offers a nearly flat loading area to fully exploit the entire length of the passenger compartment.

Inspired by the most modern trends, the design of the new Panda is based on the concept that everyone has their own needs, their own lifestyle, a personal relationship with their objects and their own way of distributing them in space. And of finding them again. This is why the new model is a place to fill in an entirely personal way, but at the same time it is a place that is a pleasure to share with others.

The new dashboard has been designed as a practical multifunctional shell containing a large storage "pocket", just like the first version of the model. The shell is enveloped in a seamless, colourful frame which graphically joins the steering wheel, radio and main controls and houses the vents and passenger airbag. Once again, this is tribute to the first-generation Panda, where the elements were fastened onto to a fabric "pouch" which constituted the main part of the dashboard.

In short, the new Panda is a car sure to continuously surprise owing to its ability to transform itself according to the situation and adapt to the needs of whoever uses it, driver or passenger as the case may be. But then it is common knowledge that offering original style, advanced technology accessible to everyone, and smart solutions that simplify and improve life on board is in Fiat's blood.