Fiat's Grande Panda is about to get cheaper thanks to a good-old manual gearbox

The long-delayed but big-value Fiat Grande Panda will soon be even cheaper thanks to the introduction of a pure-petrol version with a six-speed manual gearbox. This new entry-level version should undercut the current hybrid and EV models, with prices from around £17,000.

Asked if there was scope for the Italian firm to bring an even more affordable Grande Panda to Britain, without the current car’s small mild-hybrid motor and six-speed automatic gearbox, Fiat UK managing director Kris Cholmondeley told Auto Express: “Yes there is. The Fiat brand is all about accessible, Italian style. A petrol manual is a big part of the market and it’s my job to give the customers what they want.”

However, Cholmondeley admitted that it wasn’t as simple as launching the car and allowing customers to fill their boots. He acknowledged that he needs to manage [overall] CO2 output and if necessary, he’d hold back supply of models such as the new petrol Panda.

“At the moment we have a plan where we won’t need to [restrict ICE supply],” Cholmondeley told us. “But if we needed to, then yes, we’d have to. We have to do the right thing [in terms of] social responsibility, and there’s a very, very punitive reality if you don’t [comply]. So it’d be irresponsible of me to push for market share, and it would be suicide to do that in a non-compliant way.”

A turbo petrol Grande Panda is already offered in some European markets – in the same Pop, Icon and La Prima trims available on Hybrid and EV versions in the UK. The engine produces 99bhp and 205Nm of torque, sending drive to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. The 0-62mph dash takes around 11 seconds – similar to the Hybrid auto – but fuel economy takes a hit; the ICE car is claimed to return roughly 46mpg, which is around 9mpg less than the HEV.

Asked if we might see the new petrol Grande Panda in UK showrooms before the end of the year, Cholmondeley said it was “unlilkely”, but he was reluctant to give a definitive date on when it would appear.

“Fiat is a brand you can trust, we deliver on what we say,” Cholmondeley told us. “We don’t have big ambition that ends up letting people down. That’s not the relationship I want with my network, my customers. That integrity is really important to me as well as the romance of the brand, the emotional appeal and everything that comes with it.”

It’s likely, therefore, that Fiat will see out the rest of the year with a focus on the Hybrid and Electric models, before introducing the pure-petrol variant in 2027.

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