Fiat reveals exciting futuristic concept bakkie
Stellantis subsidiary Fiat has unveiled a new family of futuristic Pandainspired concepts including a compact bakkie.
Fiat also showed prototypes of a city car, fastback, SUV and camper when the new line-up was announced on Monday by Olivier François, Fiat CEO and Stellantis Global chief marketing officer.
The first new vehicle to be built on the shared platform will be revealed in July, followed by the launch of a new car every year until 2027.
The Panda has played a big part in Fiat’s line-up for four decades, and François said this “symbol of Italian creativity” has inspired the new family of concepts.
The new cars will share a common philosophy that functionality should never exist without fun, and have the same technology on a single global platform where new models can be manufactured on a local relevance basis.
To make the vehicles more affordable to consumers there will be a shared use of up to 80% common parts depending on the models, resulting in more efficient manufacturing.
The next Fiat models will have electric, hybrid and internal combustion engine powertrains. The carmaker is putting a special emphasis on the use of sustainable materials, including recycled plastics and bamboo fabrics.
The four-door compact pickup would succeed the compact three-quarter tonne Strada bakkie, which is popular in Brazil where the second-generation version has sold more than 400,000 units since 2020. Fiat believes its new pickup can replicate the Strada’s success at a global level. This could include SA, where it could fill the gap for compact bakkies left by the soon-to-be-discontinued Nissan NP200.
The NP200 has been in local production since 2008 when it replaced the long-running Nissan 1400, and has been SA’s only half-tonne bakkie for several years after the discontinuation of the popular Ford Bantam and Chev Ute. Nissan recently confirmed production of the NP200 at the Rosslyn plant near Pretoria will cease in March.
The previous Strada sold in SA but the current generation bakkie has not been sold locally as it is produced in left-hand drive only.
The Fiat pickup concept seems more aimed at the lifestyle market than the commercial vehicle sector. The concept bakkie looks strikingly futuristic with a chunky shape and swept-back roofline. The front and rear have banks of LED lights, and side mirrors are replaced by cameras.