Not all of you might be knowing about Fiat Panda since it is not made available in India by Fiat. Back in March this year we carried out an article “Does FIAT Need The Panda?“which talked about how Panda could be one car that might change FIATs fortunes in India.
Now Fiat has introduced a crossover 4×4 version of the car which would be officially unveiled at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. The new 2013 4×4 Fiat Panda looks tougher and there are possibly not many small hatchbacks with 4 wheel drives available in the world.
Details About Panda 4X4
The Panda 4×4 gets the acclaimed 0.9L TwinAir Turbo Petrol engine which churns out 85PS of power output which is in the range of our Swifts and Ritzs Petrols. There would also be the updated version of 1.3L Fiat MultiJet II Diesel on offer which would pump out 75PS of power.
Here is a List of all cars that run on Fiat’s MultiJet diesel engine in India
Other features in Panda 4×4 include
- 175/65 15 inch tyres
- Torque on Demand
- Electronic Stability Control
- Start & Stop System
- 6- speed Manual transmission
Looking at it from an Indian Perspective
Hatchback buyers in India are changing preferences from ‘lookers‘ to more practical cars. Success of “not-so-good-looking” WagonR is a classic example of the same. Gradually, most of the hatchbacks are going the ‘tall-boy’ way to enhance practicality even at the cost of looks or even dynamics.
Like we have said earlier, Panda makes a very good alternate to other cars in the market if Fiat can slot it under Punto. Imagine a Panda at an entry level price tag of 3.5-4 Lakh for the petrol variant and 5 Lakh for the diesel variant with this 4×4 sitting higher around even the 7 Lakh point would ensure Fiat the sneaking advantage they need.
We do not have any cheaper stock 4x4s available in India. The cheapest 4×4 we see is Thar CRDe but then it is priced higher and is not an ideal choice for a general family. And with the grand success of Duster and shift to Utility Vehicles, it becomes apparent that India loves tougher looking cars and when it would be shot in with comfort and practicality, who would not buy it?
Think Fiat India Think..!
We have also listed possible models that Fiat might think of bringing to India. Once you are done, here are a few pics of Panda for you to make your opinion which you can share in the attached poll.
[polldaddy poll=6498703]
Fiat Panda SlideShow Picture Gallery:Click on an image to open it in fullscreen. Click on an opened image to close fullscreen slideshow.
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