Fiat reveals five funky Panda-inspired concepts, including a ute

The future of Fiat is the Panda, with the Italian carmaker recently revealing five funky concepts inspired by its hit model.

Each concept is said to inform a family of upcoming production cars that will be underpinned by a new platform capable of housing either an electric, hybrid, or internal combustion engine powertrain.

The first of these new Panda-inspired models will be revealed in July, followed by one new model every year over the next three years.

Without further ado, Fiat kicks things off with the City Car concept which it says is a slightly bigger vehicle than the current generation Panda.

Its design is arguably the most quirky of the lot, with much of it taking inspiration from the brand’s birthplace in Turin, that being the Lingotto building with the famed oval test track on the roof. With that, ovals can be found all around the interior, including on the display and seats.

Next up is something that might whet the appetites of those down under; a ute concept fittingly called the Pick-Up. This model is intended for the South American market where the brand’s current generation Strada pick-up sells in big numbers. However, Fiat is confident what comes of the concept could make waves in Europe, and if all goes well, the carmaker could get in on the local ute game in Oceania.

In honour of Fiat’s popular Fastback and Tipo comes the Fastback concept, which shares the same blocky front end as the other prototypes but introduces a coupé-like silhouette.

Fiat also thought of those who need to lug a bit of junk in the trunk around by creating the SUV concept, otherwise known as the “Giga-Panda”.

Rounding things out is the Camper concept which is said to be a “do-it-all” kind of vehicle that embodies the functionality of the original Panda from the 1980s. Some of its notable features include a jacked-up body, a winch up front, and what appears to be a rooftop tent mounted to an exo skeleton roll cage.

The post Fiat reveals five funky Panda-inspired concepts, including a ute appeared first on NZ Autocar.