Fiat will channel spirit of original 1980s Panda for new budget city EV
Retro-themed runarounds coming in 2028 are highly likely for RHD; Peugeot, Vauxhall versions could follow
Stellantis could expand its line-up of sub-£15,000 affordable electric city cars beyond the forthcoming Citroën 2CV and Fiat Panda revivals – and the firm’s European chief is “95%” certain they will be offered in the UK in right-hand drive.
The industry powerhouse is developing a new E-Car platform for a line of native electric city cars that can be built to the European Union’s planned new M1E class for sub-4.2m EU-built EVs. The first two confirmed models, the 2CV and Panda, will both be built in Stellantis’s Pomigliano plant from 2028 onwards.
Emanuele Cappellano, Stellantis’s European chief, said that to meet the planned target price of €15,000 (£13,000) “we need to be focused on developing a platform that is native BEV, and we need to do that with with scale, and we need to do that with a supplier base that is supportive enough to reach a target cost that allows us to reach our price.”
Asked by Autocar if that meant more of Stellantis’s brands – which also include Peugeot and Vauxhall – could offer their own E-Car models, Cappellano said: “Fiat, for sure, Citroën for sure, other brands, potentially yes. We want to start from the Pomigliano plant with at least two vehicles but there are several options under study in terms of [other] brands and production sites. We start with at least two models, the rest we discuss step-by-step.”
Cappellano said that Stellantis was still looking for firms to partner on developing the E-Car platform with, saying: “We are working on developing this platform with or without collaboration, trying to leverage the expertise we’ve matured so far, also in partnering with other Chinese OEMs. For example the time to market is something we are really interested to improve in this cycle of plan, along with the batteries, and drive motor technology.”
The EU’s M1E rules will reward firms that manufacture them with ‘super credits’ that count will help them meet their EU fleet emissions targets, but there is no word yet on if the UK government would give firms selling such machines any extra support in meeting their Zero Emission Vehicle mandate targets.
That raises questions of the value of offering them in the UK, especially with the extra investment that would be required to convert them for right-hand drive. The new Renault Twingo will arrive late in right-hand drive form due to delays in signing off the extra investment, while some small city cars have not previously been offered in the UK at all.
Asked if Stellantis would offer its E-Car models in right-hand drive Cappellano told Autocar “I don’t know”, but said he was “95%” certain that would be.
He added: “You know how relevant the BEV market is in the UK, and it’d very important for us to stay there and be present.”
