Fiat is well known for producing great small cars, and this year seems very much the time for small EV models. We therefore asked Cava if he believed the Grande Panda could be a fleet opportunity for Fiat in the UK?
He said: “Definitely, driven by the nature of the product we’ve had so far. Up until last year, we were selling mainly 500s – so small three-door cars. There was a fleet opportunity there, but we were limited by the nature of the car.
“We started already with the 600, as that gives us a roomy five-door car to enter the fleet environment. It provides an opportunity to appeal to fleet customers, and the Grande Panda will build into that. The Panda is still a city car, but it’s slightly bigger, it’s a five-door, with five seats, and there’s clearly an opportunity to grow.
“Fiat has always been predominantly a retail business, but I think with the 600 and Grande Panda, they won’t just appeal to the retail side. We will have new opportunities for fleet and Motability, certainly.”
We’re a little way off the UK launch of the Grande Panda, but we moved on to ask Cava if he had any idea about the make-up of the fleet mix, and whether it would mostly be EV.
He said: “It is difficult to say. In terms of the EV mix, the idea is that the Panda will track in-line with the ZEV mandate. I think the Panda will be a big contributor to our BEV mix this year, and fleet will be a similar position.
“We’re trying to cover all the bases, I think the idea is that we would like to be compliant, so this is the direction of travel – and we will work in every channel, with this in mind.”
Citroen and Vauxhall are also launching models on the same new ‘Smart Car’ BEV-native platform, and we therefore asked Cava if he felt any pressure within Stellantis with the new Grande Panda?
He said: “They’re all offering different things to fleet buyers. Each brand within the Stellantis family offers different characteristics – every brand has its own heritage for sure.
“It is true that these models share the same platform, but as you’ve seen, the Panda has its own identity – the Fiat brand is important, and strong! With all the new cars with iconic nameplates from the past, we have leveraged this a lot, and the Grande Panda is the perfect example of this.
“This is a clear advantage when compared to new entrants and models to the market. Despite the iconic nameplate, we need to get the message out to the fleet market that the Grande Panda is something new, that it’s not just the Panda like it used to be – it’s reinvented and reimagined for the modern world, but keeps some of the heritage and history with the exterior and interior design details.
“For me, the Panda will be a game changer – I feel no pressure at all.”
