Fiat Panda
Reimagined as a cool, minimalist EV
The Fiat Concept Centoventi electric city car is being considered for production in 2021 as a stripped-back and highly customisable reinvention of the Panda.
The car is said by Fiat brand boss Olivier François to have been first conceived four years ago under the codename CC4 (city car, fourth generation). It has been conceived to deliver on the need of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) to put electrified cars on sale to avoid tough regulatory fines for missing upcoming CO2 targets. It also reflects plans to reinvent Fiat in Europe as a maker of electrified city cars.
The car’s production future will depend on FCA signing off the significant investment needed and the reception to the concept from potential buyers.
François said: “It is driven by a desire to capture the essence of one end of the Fiat spectrum while at the same time – if we’re being honest – build our electrified portfolio and avoid any fines. I prefer to focus on the former, as this is a car that I have watched being developed with great passion.”
Boosting the chances of the Concept Centoventi, named in recognition of the Italian firm’s 120th anniversary, reaching production is FCA’S development of a new, Ev-only platform that will underpin the new electric Fiat 500 due in 2020 (see separate story, right). François said the two cars could potentially share the same basic underpinnings as a result, although he declined to confirm it.
The Centoventi – 3680mm long, 1527mm tall and 1846mm wide, with a wheelbase of 2430mm – is designed to be highly customisable and upgradeable. Fiat’s suggestion is that it will be offered in base form with a single battery that gives 62 miles of range. Owners can buy or rent up to three extra underfloor batteries, along with one that slides under the driver’s seat, to extend the range to up to 310 miles.
The charging port is located in front of the windscreen and features a cable reel under the bodywork, eliminating the need to carry cables in the boot. Fiat has not given any technical details of the car’s electric powertrain.
The four-seat concept features a minimal dashboard and removable passenger seat. A range of seat types – from full seats to baby seats and laptop tables – were displayed.
There are Lego-style notches on the dashboard on which buyers can fix features and accessories
purchased separately. Fiat says it has patented the interlocking mounting system. The Centoventi can use a smartphone or tablet as a digital display alongside a 10.0in built-in unit. A 20.0in digital dashboard display will be an option.
Fiat says it will sell the car in a single colour, but with a choice of four colours for the bumpers, wheels covers and bodywork wraps, making it highly customisable. François described the approach as “a Model T in an iphone case”.
It will be sold with a removable roof, on which buyers can choose to add a sunroof, soft-top or luggage rack or a roof featuring a solar panel, which can generate 50W to power a digital display sited under the tailgate.
Mopar, FCA’S parts firm, will produce a range of 114 accessories and François said consumers will be able to buy them from dealers, mobile fitters or second-hand – and even 3D-print parts.
François described the concept as 90% production ready and said an eventual production version would be “the least expensive BEV [battery electric vehicle] on the market”, due to its modular battery design. Although he did not confirm a figure, François indicated that it could cost as little as £15,000 in base form.