Fiat is planning on expanding and modernizing its range in the next five years, focusing on the smaller segments. Among the new launches, there will be a supermini and three new crossovers, with their designs already completed as confirmed by CEO Olivier François. The Italian company is gearing up towards becoming a fully electric brand by 2027 putting an emphasis on affordability, while describing itself as a “cousin” to Citroën within Stellantis.

A Breath Of Fresh Air In Fiat’s Model Range

The first new launch will be a Punto-sized supermini expected to be unveiled in 2023, slotting above the current fully electric 500 citycar. The model won’t be getting the Punto name ending a cycle of three generations produced between 1993 and 2018. The Fiat supermini is expected to share its underpinnings with the Peugeot 208, the Opel Corsa and the upcoming Citroen C3. The CMP platform will allow ICE-powered and BEV variants, in line with the competition.

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Speaking about Fiat’s urban models, Oliver François described the 500 and the Panda as their “two icons”. The CEO said “there is room for something more” in the 500 range next to the 500 and the 500X, which is going to be “chic and urban”. Speaking about the Panda, he hinted at a modern interpretation of the ‘80s original, not only in terms of exterior design but also in terms of “the essential, minimalist approach”. This notion inspired the 2019 Centoventi concept and will be inherited by “at least a couple of (production) cars” according to the CEO.

The successor of the Fiat Panda will retain the popular nameplate and will be one of the three new crossovers in Fiat’s range. Oliver François said: “The Panda has to be a little rugged, simple, robust.” while hinting that the Panda DNA will be infused in other models too.

Fiat’s Role In Stellantis

According to Autocar, Fiat’s future range will have 10 members, including five global cars (500, Panda, Punto-sized supermini, plus two more crossovers), four commercial vehicles, and one South-American-only model. “In the next five years, we’re going to launch one new car per year per region- and globally we’re able to create cars that are common everywhere in the world, which is something we’ve struggled with in the past,” François said, admitting the hurdles of the FCA era.

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Fiat’s CEO confirmed the brand’s renewed focus on smaller segments, with the automaker not interested in larger-than-compact cars. He also described Fiat as Citroën’s cousin in the Stellantis group: “The stories are different, but we’re two people’s brands and share a lot. I think what’s interesting is that we can divide the market in terms of size. We can be the specialist in smaller cars and then Citroën has more legitimacy to cover the D-segment (midsize) – and, of course, there will be some overlap in the middle.”

In Europe, Fiat will be heavily betting on EVs, launching fully electric versions of every new model in its range before eventually discontinuing internal combustion engines. François wants to make Fiat “the people’s Tesla”, lowering the cost of electrification. Fiat planned to have an EV-only range between 2025 and 2030 with François hinting it could happen in 2027 or earlier, wanting to make the Italian automaker “the first mass-market brand to be electric-only”.