In praise of the Panda | Axon’s Automotive Anorak

The Panda name first appeared on a Fiat in February 1980. Codenamed Project 141, and intended to slot in between the Fiat 126 and 127, the original and now iconic Panda was a simple back-to-basics three-door hatchback. Famously conceived by Giorgetto Giugiaro of ItalDesign way back in 1977 as a modern-day utilitarian Citroen 2CV and Renault 4 rural rival, but with the added charm and manoeuvrability of a Mini, the original Panda had elemental flat metal bodywork with flat glass and inspired removable hammock-type seating that was easy to clean and fold down into a double bed or child cot carrier.

Of all the countless outstanding vehicles that Giugiaro has designed over the past 65 years or so, (including the influential Gordon-Keeble GK1, Alfa Romeo 105 ‘Bertone’ GT coupé, Maserati Bora, Lotus Esprit, VW Golf, BMW M1 and De Lorean DMC12) the original Fiat Panda remains the car that he is most proud of. As if to illustrate the point, Giugiaro still keeps an early Fiat Panda in his design studio to inspire him.

Having considered a few names for the model (Rustica and Zero were originally considered), Fiat moved away from its contemporary numeric naming policy to give its small and loveable new baby an actual name; one that was short and memorable and could be pronounced in all languages. The Panda name was wisely chosen, with Fiat GB making a contribution to the World Wild Life Fund (which famously uses a panda as its WWF logo) for each Panda sold when first introduced on to the British market.

In 1983, Fiat broadened the appeal of the Panda hugely by adding an off-road 4x4 to the range. Using the off-road expertise of the Austrian four-wheel-drive gurus at Steyr-Puch, who had been building Fiats under licence since the 1950s, the Panda 4x4 was an instant hit, anticipating the later crossover SUV sectors by some years, as well as answering the dreams of the many Alpine-based sky stations, farmers and residents that had been praying for a useful and affordable off-roader for years. 

Able to tackle gradients of up to 65 per cent in its stride, Panda 4x4s remain a common sight at European ski resorts today as a cable cars and tastelessly bright puffer jackets.

In 1986, Fiat gave the Panda its first facelift, with a plusher interior, smoother low body panels and importantly, an improved ‘Omega’ rear suspension system and innovative new FIRE (Fully Integrated Robotised Engine) motors. By this time the Fiat Panda was accounting for one out of every two A-segment (entry level sector) new cars sold in Europe, with the model becoming the best-selling new car in Italy – a position it holds to this day.

Although withdrawn early from the UK market, the first Panda Mark I remained in strong demand in mainland Europe, with the last example of the model built on 5^th September 2003, an amazing 23 years and around 4.5million examples after its original launch.

After an unwisely abortive attempt to rename the model Gringo (Renault complained that Gringo sounded too close to Twingo), the Panda I made way for the all-new Project 169 Panda Mark II in 2003. This time the 169 design responsibilities were passed over to Bertone, rather than Giugiaro. Bertone skilfully managed to retain the charm and cheeky character of the first Panda with the Mark II, giving the car a more practical five door design in place of the previous three doors.

Like its older sister, the new Panda II was an instant hit, named the European Car Of Year for 2004, and still dominating the smaller A-sector sales for entry cars in Europe, despite stronger competition from new entrants from as far a field as South Korea, Japan and France. Second-generation Panda highlights included the even more capable new 4x4, plus the now-cult 100HP, an unexpected small hot hatch derivative that was acclaimed for giving more fun per pound than any other car.

It subsequently becoming the wheels of choice for countless motoring writers ‘in the know’ that favour their feisty Panda over costlier and more powerful performance cars.

With more than 6million Pandas built over the first 30 years of production, Fiat revealed the third generation Panda at the 2011 IAA Frankfurt Motor Show. Still in production today and planned to remain so until at least 2027 (although sadly UK imports are set to cease by the end of 2025), the Panda III has remained the best-selling new car in Italy, with almost 13,000 examples still being sold every month so far this year.

To mark its 120^th anniversary at the 2019 Geneva Salon, Fiat stole the show with a surprise in the pleasingly square and simple form of its Centoventi concept car, the Turin company’s first EV. The Centoventi resembled a retro-futuristic first-generation Panda, with inspiration clearly displayed in its practical and versatile interior, a clever ’plug in’ single pouch instrument cluster and interchangeable seat cushions.

Hugely popular with the Geneva show goers, this unexpected Fiat concept clearly singled the Italian marque’s thinking as and when it got around to introducing its new fourth-generation Panda. 

That moment has now arrived, and based on my first static-only acquaintance, the new Panda IV doesn’t disappoint. Being based on the Stellantis group’s new ‘Smart Car’ smaller car platform, the new Grande Panda is aptly named, as the model is (sadly) noticeably larger than its previous trio of Panda forefathers, increased size being the curse of modern cars. A choice of hybrid and all-electric drivetrains are planned to be offered.

Despite its unfortunate but understandable larger dimensions, mercifully the new Grande Panda retains a boxy and functional character, and I hope it will also be as fun to drive and live with as its predecessors, but only time will tell. Stellantis has reportedly yet to make a decision on the future availability of a Grande Panda 4x4 variant, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed that such a capable baby beast will rejoin the Fiat range in time.