Fiat has pulled the wraps off its new Grizzly – a larger version of the Grande Panda aimed to give it a footing in Europe’s crucial C-segment – after first showing it in parent company Stellantis’ recent strategy update.
It will go on sale later this year with two bodystyles: a straight-edged SUV and a more rakish Fastback. It’s an affordable family crossover “designed for the three regions” Fiat sells in, according to CEO Olivier François: Europe, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa.
It “completes the Panda and Grande Panda families”, he said, “but it’s a different animal” that is intended to bolster Fiat’s “revenue, margins and brand”.
As a bigger sibling to the Grande Panda, it will be built on Stellantis’s value-oriented Smart Car platform, which also underpins the similarly positioned Citroën C3 Aircross and Vauxhall Frontera.
The Grizzly is believed to be slightly larger than its siblings, however: Fiat said it’s “under 4.5m” long, while the C3 Aircross and Frontera are just under 4.4m long.
It will be offered with the same choice of petrol, hybrid and electric powertrains as the Grande Panda.
The Grizzly forms part of a wave of new Fiat products aimed at bolstering the Italian brand’s coverage of the affordable car market and attracting new buyers.
Also on the way is a new four-seat microcar (pictured below in green) to sit above the Citroën Ami-based Topolino and a new electric city car inspired by the original 1980s Panda.
This new sub-£15k entry EV will be produced at Stellantis’s Pomigliano plant in Italy alongside a reborn Citroën 2CV, taking heavy design influence from its 1940s forebear.