Leboine insisted, though, that despite taking influence from a century-old building and nodding heavily to Fiat’s utilitarian heritage, the brand is not switching to a retro design language for its future cars.
He said. “What we get from Lingotto is an eternal modernity. I don’t think there is anything retro about what we’ve done. I’m quite comfortable with this.
“We use the past to tell a story, but actually the products we are doing are definitely modern and looking forward.”
The Panda concept, which serves as the halo for this new family, gives the best idea since 2019’s acclaimed Centoventi concept of what to expect from the third generation of Fiat’s supermini .
The latest concept marks a substantial departure from that earlier show car, which was notably lower-slung and more rounded, but Leboine insisted that the “Centoventi is still in our mind”.
“The Centoventi is definitely embedded into these concepts,” he told Autocar. “That was a great concept car that translated the strong philosophy of Fiat in terms of simplicity, affordability, flexibility – all these very smart and clever solutions that Fiat is very good at proposing.”
He explained that when the Centoventi was unveiled, Fiat did not have the necessary resources to turn it into a production car, but having since become part of the 14-brand Stellantis portfolio, the marque now has “other opportunities” to shape the future of the Panda.
