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The Fiat Panda story so far
© FiatAccording to the internet, giant pandas can live up to 30 years in captivity, or 20 years in the wild. By comparison, the Fiat Panda is doing remarkably well, as it celebrates its 45rd year in 2025. There have been four generations of the Italian city car, from the boxy original (pictured here) to the new electric Grande Panda. So, grab a bowl of pasta and a glass of chianti, it’s time for the Fiat Panda story so far.
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Fiat Panda – born in 1980
© FiatIn February 1980, Fiat presented the Panda to then Italian president Sandro Pertini. Less than a week later, the car made its press debut at the Geneva Motor Show. “Giugiaro, make a ‘French-style’ utility car which is identical in weight and manufacturing costs to the Fiat 126, but which obviously is larger and more comfortable.” Those were the demands of Carlo De Benedetti, Fiat’s new CEO, at the end of July 1975. He wanted to see the initial sketches by mid-August…
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The Italian 2CV or Renault 4
© FiatGiven the French connection, you could argue that the original Fiat Panda was the Italian answer to the Citroen 2CV and Renault 4. It was cheap to buy, affordable to run, spacious and flexible. It was also functional, featuring wrap-around bumpers, flat windows and hard-wearing materials. With space for five, the rear bench could be configured in seven different positions, including a hammock, a cot or a large bed.
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Fiat Panda 4x4
© FiatThroughout its 14 years on sale, the original Fiat Panda spawned many different versions. Some were special editions, while others were part of the core range. Launched in October 1984, the Panda 4×4 became a firm favourite in the hills of Tuscany and the Alpine mountains. Thanks to its low weight, four-wheel-drive and narrow footprint, it could travel to areas other 4x4s couldn’t reach.
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Fiat Panda Italia 90
© FiatYou might be old enough to remember the Fiat Panda Italia 90 (pictured). Launched to celebrate Italy’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup, it featured wheel trims designed to look like footballs. Today, the Italia 90 is something of a cult car.
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Fiat Panda Elettra
© FiatIt might sound like the name of a Bond girl, but the Panda Elettra was way ahead of its time. Like the Italia 90, it dates from 1990, but this time Fiat removed the rear seats to create an electric version. Unfortunately, it weighed 450kg more than the standard Panda, which meant performance was… limited. It could have been a game-changer for Fiat; instead, it was decades before the company launched a mainstream electric car. The Panda was removed from Fiat’s UK range in June 1995, by which time 161,501 had been sold.
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Fiat Panda Mk2
© FiatThe first rule of car design is that you don’t mess with a winning formula. Actually, that might not be the first rule, but given the success of the original Panda, you can hardly blame Fiat for playing it safe. Unveiled in 2003, and launched in the UK in January 2004, Panda II was destined to be named Gingo, but this was changed following protests from Renault. Gingo is a bit close to Twingo, you see. The big change was the move from three doors to five, enhancing the Panda’s practicality.
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European Car of the Year 2004
© FiatIt scooped the European Car of the Year award in 2004, beating the Mazda 3, Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Avensis, Vauxhall Meriva, BMW 5 Series and Nissan Micra. It replaced the Fiat Seicento and remained on sale for eight years.
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‘Fiat Mini’
© FiatThe Panda II sat on a new ‘Fiat Mini’ platform, also used by the Fiat 500, Ford Ka and Lancia Ypsilon. It launched with 1.1- and 1.2-litre petrol engines, with a five-speed manual gearbox as standard. A Dualogic sequential transmission was available as an option on 1.2 models.
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Fiat Panda Mk2
© FiatThe Panda II wasn’t the most stylish, comfortable or dynamically sorted city car, but it was the perfect vehicle for Europe’s congested streets. Narrow enough for Italy’s tight city centres, chic enough for the cosmopolitan hotspots, and cool enough for all age groups and demographics. Sure, the boot was a tad small, but rear-seat accommodation was excellent.
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Fiat Panda 4x4
© FiatThe Panda 4×4 arrived in July 2004. It picked up where the old 4×4 left off, becoming popular with hill farmers, ski instructors and your Aunt Mabel who lives at the top of a gravel track in the Lake District. Trust us on this: these things are brilliant fun.
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Fiat Panda Cross
© FiatDespite looking like a Fiat Panda 4×4 wearing a lucha libre mask, the Panda Cross was one of the most economical off-roaders you could buy. It arrived in the UK in 2003, with power sourced from a 1.3-litre Multijet turbodiesel engine. The round front and rear lights, chunky body cladding, two-tone interior and 15-inch alloys set it apart from the regular 4×4, but you’d have to love the styling to spend an extra £2,000 for the privilege.
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Fiat Panda 4x4 Rossignol
© FiatTo highlight the Panda 4×4’s prowess when the going gets white, Fiat teamed up with ski equipment manufacturer Rossignol to create this special edition. Just 200 were made, each one coming with a set of skis, a magnetic carrying rack, distinctive grey paint, polished black panels and a red ‘R’ logo on the doors and tailgate. Cool thing.
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Fiat Panda Mamy
© FiatFrom skiers to, er, mothers. The Fiat Panda Mamy was ‘aimed specifically at young mothers’. Don’t have a go at us – that’s a direct quote from the press release. We’re sure young fathers would also appreciate the second rear-view mirror, bag hooks in the boot, washable front and rear upholstery, orange air vents and special carpet mats.
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Fiat Panda Alessi
© FiatTake one of the coolest Italian homeware brands, add a little city car sparkle, mix things up, and hey presto: the Fiat Panda Alessi. We could mount a strong case for this being one of the best Panda special editions. Google it and you’ll see what we mean. Those wheel trims are delightful.
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Fiat Panda 100HP
© FiatWhen it comes to junior hot hatches, the Fiat Panda 100HP is an all-conquering hero. Launched in 2007, it came with a sub-£10,000 price tag, which made it one of the bargains of the new millennium. The name tells you it’s not packing a huge amount of horsepower, but it harnessed that 100hp to brilliant effect. Find one today and get used to wearing a cheesy grin whenever you drive.
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Fiat Panda 100HP
© FiatLook at it. The Panda 100HP is magnificent. Throw this into a track day filled with exotica and 300hp hot hatches, and the Panda will be the veritable wasp at a picnic. It’s also cheap to run, cheap to insure, and small enough for even the tightest garages. Why aren’t you trawling the Auto Trader website already?
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Fiat Panda Sporting
© FiatThis isn’t a Fiat Panda 100HP, but it does feature some go-faster stripes. Available in either red or black, the Panda Sporting was the nursery slope to the 100HP’s black run. A total of 400 were registered in 2005 and 2006, so good luck finding one.
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Fiat Panda Terramare
© FiatThe Fiat Panda Terramare was the work of an engineer named Maurizio Zanisi. The Italian fitted a floatation belt and a water jet propulsion kit to create a Panda that wouldn’t look out of place in a Top Gear TV challenge. Amazingly, this thing travelled from Folkestone to Cap Gris-Nez in just six hours. The Channel Tunnel would have been safer, but not half as much fun.
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Fiat Panda 4x4 Dakar
© FiatTwo factory-built Fiat Panda 4x4s took part in the 2004 Dakar rally. Driven by Miki Biasion and Bruno Saby, the cars were powered by a 1.3-litre Multijet diesel engine developing 105hp. They also featured an automatic all-wheel-drive system with a viscous coupling and locking differential for more grip and traction on rough and soft terrain.
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Fiat Panda Mk3
© FiatLaunched in 2012, the third-generation Fiat Panda enjoyed a long innings. Despite being based on the same platform as the previous car, it introduced a new, rounder style. Look closely and you’ll spot the ‘squircles’ – a design motif that gave the Panda a unique personality in the city car segment.
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Fiat Panda 4x4
© FiatThe UK press launch of the Fiat Panda 4×4 coincided with heavy snow across many parts of the country. A good opportunity to test the potential of a new 4×4 – not that many journalists could attend the launch! Still, it provided plenty of photo opportunities. Again, the Panda 4×4 was one of the UK’s cheapest off-roaders.
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Fiat Panda Cross
© FiatAlternatively, for an additional £1,500, you could buy a Fiat Panda Cross. The Panda 4×4 in an outdoor suit had 15-inch off-road alloy wheels, roof bars, front and rear skid plates, body cladding and a host of standard equipment. Summer tyres were standard, so you might need some winter rubber if you venture to the Alps.
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Fiat Panda 4x4 Antarctica
© FiatIf you like penguins and Pandas, the Antarctica special edition is for you. Only available in white with a black roof, orange detailing and diamond-finish alloy wheels, the Panda 4×4 Antarctica also featured bespoke penguin decals. Just 300 were built for the UK market, so it’s a rare thing to find in the wild.
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Fiat Panda 4x4 Antarctica
© FiatWe couldn’t help ourselves, so we had a look in the online classifieds. Prices start from around £5,000, which seems quite pricey for a 4×4 that cost £15,000 in 2014. Just got to love penguins…
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Fiat Panda Hawaii
© FiatIf we told you the press release for the Fiat Panda Hawaii came with an embargo of 1 April, you’ll know that this isn’t a special edition to take seriously. Built to mark the 10th anniversary of The Inbetweeners TV series, the Panda paid homage to the Cinquecento Hawaii that starred in the show.
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Zero-star Euro NCAP crash test
© FiatIn 2018, the Fiat Panda failed to score a single star in a Euro NCAP crash test, making it one of the worst-performing cars ever tested by the safety organisation. Particularly shocking was its child occupant protection, where it scored just 16 percent. At the time, the average rating for new cars was 79 percent. It highlighted why the previous Panda was in desperate need of a replacement.
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Fiat Panda City Cross
© FiatThis is the Fiat Panda City Cross, which offers the looks and ground clearance of the 4×4, but is designed to remain on the road rather than off it. It’s like an Italian Suzuki Ignis. Or maybe the Ignis is a Japanese Panda City Cross?
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Fiat Panda Trussardi
© FiatMeet the Fiat Panda Trussardi – the first ‘luxury’ Panda. An attempt to gloss over the safety rating or a successful marriage of two famous Italian brands? You decide.
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Fiat Panda Trussardi
© FiatIt certainly wears its Trussardi clothing well, although it’s a world away from the simplicity and practicality of Giugiaro’s original Panda. The Caffé Italiano Brown paintwork is a wonderful touch, darling.
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Fiat Panda Hybrid
© FiatThe previous Fiat Panda Hybrid was launched in early 2020 and paired a 1.0-litre petrol engine with a 12-volt belt-integrated starter motor. Officially, it will return 49.6mpg and emit 89g/km of CO2. Calling it a ‘Hybrid’ is a bit of a red herring, though, because it’s little more than a mild hybrid – you can’t drive it on electric power.
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Fiat Concept Centoventi
© FiatIn 2019, Fiat celebrated its 120th anniversary by revealing the Concept Centoventi. It offered an ‘electric mobility solution affordable for all,’ said the press release. More importantly, it provided several strong clues about how the forthcoming, fourth-generation Panda would look.
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Together in electric dreams
© FiatBeyond its funky doors, the Centoventi’s modular construction theoretically allowed customers to choose from four different designs for the roof, bumpers, wheel covers and external wrapping. Plus, there were 120 additional options. Perhaps Fiat did learn something from Ferrari, after all…
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Panda to the people
© FiatThe final touch was a cuddly toy, displayed at the Geneva Motor Show with some of the car’s optional extras. If anyone was in doubt about the Concept Centoventi previewing the next Panda, this confirmed it.
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Fiat Grande Panda EV
© FiatAnd here it is. As per its name, the new Grande Panda is larger than its predecessor – and also more SUV-shaped. Neat design details include the pixelated headlights and an integrated charging cable that coils away behind the grille. However, the biggest news is a fully electric powertrain. A 44kWh battery gives the electric Panda an official range of 198 miles, while 0-62mph takes around 11 seconds.
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Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid
© FiatIf you’re not ready to go entirely electric, the Grande Panda is also sold as a hybrid. Combining a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with a 21kW electric motor means a far more useful range of around 500 miles, plus 0-62mph in bang-on 10 seconds. It also looks great on steel wheels.
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Fiat Grande Panda 4x4
© FiatThis is only a concept for now, but we’d be amazed if they don’t build it. According to Fiat, the rugged Panda uses ‘an electrified innovative rear axle’ to provide four-wheel drive. Its dark red and white colour scheme is a clear nod to the classic Panda 4×4 Sisley. The 1987 original featured an inclinometer, a bonnet scoop and a roof rack.
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Life is Pandastic
© FiatTo ‘celebrate’ the 30th anniversary of Shaggy’s hit ‘Boombastic’, Fiat brought the Jamaican singer together with a Grande Panda for its new ad campaign. Using the tagline ‘Life is Pandastic’, the video features Shaggy behind the wheel alongside an animated bear. Fiat CEO Olivier Francois spoke of the “iconic soundtrack marking the return of the iconic shapes of an 80s classic”. Hmm.
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45 years and counting
© FiatNow in its 45th year, the Fiat Panda truly is one of Italy’s greatest cars – and never more so than Giugiaro’s brilliantly minimalist original. If we could pick just one? An Italia 90 special edition with those football wheel trims, please. Fiat, if you’re listening, there’s another World Cup next year…
The 45-year story of the Fiat Panda
The Fiat Panda is an Italian legend, but there have been highs and lows during its 45-year career. We chart the history of a much-loved small car.
Home The 45-year story of the Fiat Panda
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