2 1 AUGUST 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 57
FIAT AND ALFA ROMEO INSIGHT
livier François has a
problem. He’s beennursing, nurturing
and nibbling away at
an idea he had several
years ago – a rather good idea – and
although that thought has been
turned into a three-dimensional
object for us all to see, he doesn’t
k now w he n it shou ld b e t u r ne d i nt o
something that all of us might buy.
François (above) is chief marketing
officer at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
(FCA) and head of the Fiat brand. His
idea is how to set about replacing the
Pa nd a , Fi at ’s mo s t c h a r m i n g l y ba sic
mo de l , w it h a c a r t h at w i l l h av e le gs
for a greener 21st century.
One look at the Centoventi, Fiat’s
concept car celebration of its 120th
anniversary, tells you that François
and his team have been mulling
a lot more than a straightforward
replacement for the third-generation
Panda. The car you see here would
be offered with only one main paint
colour – pale grey – in its most basic
form and shorn of much equipment.There would be multiple optional
add-ons to configure the interior,
dashboard and roof, as well as the
more fundamental choice of an all-
electric drivetrain. More specifically,
the electric version would be an
affordable battery model, coming
as standard with a range of no
mor e t h a n 62 m i le s. You m i g ht w e l l
consider this unacceptably limiting,
even for an urban runabout. In which
case, you can order another 62 miles’
worth of add-on battery pack, by
buying, leasing or even renting it, and
a couple of packs beyond that, too.
In fact, the Centoventi, and by
implication the next Panda, could
be all about the add-ons. Among the
c or nuc opi a of ide a s t h at it c a r r ie s i s
a one-model offering, to which you
can add as many or as few options
as you like, either when you buy, or
after you’ve bought. One benefit
of the single-model approach, says
François, is that there’s only one
version of the car’s wiring loom,complete with all the plug-and-play
possibilities needed for post-sale
upgrades and add-ons.
But these are side issues compared
with François’ problem, which is all
about when. The new petrol Panda
should arrive during 2021, but at
what point should an all-electric
affordable version be offered?
“I w a nt it t o b e a s uc c e s s ,” s ay s
François. “It’s a radical approach ◊
O
Fiat Centoventi
IT’S BIGGER
The Panda has always
been small, but the
Centoventi is much bigger –
“actually the size of a current
Mini”, says Fiat boss Olivier
François. “And it’s wide.
People want room.”
MATERIAL
CHOICE
Body panels are robustenough for car-sharing
skirmishes, so the car can be
cheaply and easily repaired.
Bodywork is pale grey only.
Bumpers, wheels and roof are
coloured in four optional
hues. Body wraps are
also offered.