In recent hours, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić, at the end of an institutional meeting held in Belgrade with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, made it known that the new Electric Fiat Panda, expected next year, will be built in the Serbian factory in Kragujevac. An announcement with the flavor of “goodbye Italy”, but it won’t be like this, or at least not immediately: Stellantis itself wanted to clarify that the Pomigliano d’Arco will continue to produce the current Panda with internal combustion engine, it should do so until at least 2026.
Stellantis takes a stand
“We believe that the current Panda model fully satisfies the mobility needs of a wide range of users, especially Italians. For this reason, we don’t consider it to be in competition with the model that will see the light in Serbia, which will be on another platform and positioned differently from the current one as the Panda is becoming a family, as it is for 500 – we read in a Stellantis note reported by Ansa – If the regulatory evolution and the competitive conditions of the Pomigliano plant allow it, it is our intention continue its life cycle and therefore support the factory until the new model cycle arrives.”
Response to unions
An almost obligatory stance on the part of the Italian-French group, which had to deal with the first discontent and concerns of the labor unions. “As far as Pomigliano is concerned, the plant has seen the arrival of a particularly competitive product such as the Alfa Romeo Tonale and the Dodge Hornet for the US market. Today the plant works on 12 shifts for both the Tonale/Hornet and the Panda, which continues to be a winning model, especially thanks to the hybrid version – concluded Stellantis – Pomigliano will continue to produce the Panda, the time is premature to make further announcements. The industrial plans will be communicated in due time and in the appropriate places.”
First details of the new electric Fiat Panda
We know about the new electric Fiat Panda that it should share the technical base with the new Citroen e-C3 and therefore be born on the Smart Car platform. This means that it is equipped with LFP batteries, with Lithium-Iron-Phosphate chemistry, to also allow costs to be kept low. The price list should remain under 25,000 euros, with a range close to 300 km on a single charge. Work on the new electric small car from the Turin brand will begin next year, most likely in spring, with the official debut of the model which should take place on July 11th on the occasion of Fiat’s 125th anniversary.
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