The Fiat Panda is a city car from the Italian automobile manufacturer Fiat. The first Fiat Panda was introduced in 1980, and was produced until 2003 with only a few changes. It is now sometimes referred to as the "old Panda". The second model, launched in 2003, is sometimes referred to "New Panda" or "Nuova Panda" (in Italian), and was the European Car of the Year in 2004. The third generation debut at Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2011 will be assembled in Italy at Pomigliano d'Arco. In over 31 years Fiat has sold over 6.5 million Pandas globally.
Introduced in 1980, the Panda was designed as a modern day "peasant car": a cheap, basic, no-frills utility vehicle, that would be easy to use and maintain. It can be seen as a later approach to the same niche which the Citroën 2CV and Renault 4 were designed to serve. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the Panda was noted for its box-like styling, which would become the house style for Fiats throughout the 1980s.
Mechanically the first Pandas borrowed heavily from the Fiat parts bin. Engines and transmissions came from the Fiat 127 and, in certain territories, the air-cooled 652 cc two-cylinder powerplant from the Fiat 126. The plan for a mechanically simple car was also evident in the rear suspension, which used a dead axle suspended on leaf springs. Later versions of the car added various mechanical improvements but this spirit of robust simplicity was adhered to throughout the life of the model.
Many design features reflect the Panda's utilitarian practicality. Examples include a 7-position adjustable rear seat which could be folded flat to make a bed, or folded into a V shape to support awkward loads, or easily and quickly removed altogether to increase the overall load space. The first Pandas also featured removable, washable seat covers, door trims and dashboard cover, and all the glass panels were flat making replacements easy and cheap to produce. Much like its earlier French counterparts the Panda could be specified with a two piece roll forward canvas roof.
The original Panda met with great success across Europe, polling 2nd in the 1981 European Car of the Year awards in its first full year of production (pipped to first place by the Mark III Ford Escort) and staying in production in some regions until May 2003.
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