That means the platform’s full mix of powertrains and EV batteries is on the shelf for the future Fiat family. 

Citroen has introduced a range-topping 54kWh battery for the e-C3 Aircross, which is good for nearly 250 miles on a single charge. It sits alongside the 44kWh pack, good for 188 miles. Expect the GigaPanda to offer both batteries and similar ranges.

“We called it GigaPanda to let people understand it’s much bigger than Grande Panda, though they’re rooted in the same design,” said the European boss. “Fiat’s playground is urban mobility. That to me means from 2.5 metres [the Topolino version of the Citroen Ami] to four-point-something metres.”

Fiat previewed the GigaPanda concept with a striking purple SUV, again with blocky sections, pixel lights and body detailing inspired by the old Lingotto factory’s rows of square windows. The long wheelbase frees up space for larger families, though the kicked-up windowline will need extending – perhaps in keeping with the blue Panda Camper XXL concept’s sideglass – to give passengers in the third row a view out.   

“I cannot say we’ll do it [exactly] like this,” Leboine told Auto Express in Turin. “But we’ve worked on this vehicle family and they are ready. The [Grande] Panda [concept] was a bit exaggerated but all the cues were there. That’s more or less what will happen [with GigaPanda].” 

Fiat has learned its lesson from originally offering the 500 only as a pure EV. So the mild-hybrid 1.2-litre turbo petrol will be fitted, along with a pure-petrol (as well as options running on ethanol, a popular fuel in Brazil).

The two cars should be on the market by the end of 2026, with a pick-up set to join the line-up the following year, along with the little Pandina. 

“We have a responsibility to get Fiat back to where it belongs in Europe,” said Thorel. “We want to be a protagonist, which means having a market coverage of at least 50 per cent.” And what is Fiat’s market coverage today, we asked? “Without Grande Panda? I can’t tell you, because otherwise you’d ask: ‘How have you survived?’!”

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