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YOU’D expect car industry bosses to be enthusiastic about their jobs, their brands and the products they sell. They’re paid well enough, after all. And yet when we caught up with Fiat boss Olivier François over video chat recently, the French-born executive was practically fizzing with excitement about what the next two or three years could bring for his company. Fiat, you see, is on the verge of a major revitalisation, helped by the proposed merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Groupe PSA, which comprises Peugeot, Citroen, Vauxhall/Opel and DS. Firstly, as you can read on page 8, the deal should support the new generation of Panda, based on the Centoventi concept (above) and encompassing all of the focus on practicality and value that made the original model such a…

• Next-generation Panda will return to Fiat’s entry-level roots • Range will include EV as brand rapidly expands model line-up John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy AN all-new Panda is set to arrive by the start of 2022, joining an all-electric 500 in the Fiat line-up and helping to kickstart a major recovery by the Italian manufacturer in some of the family car market sectors that it helped to invent. After years of under-investment in the Italian brand, as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) focused on its more profitable Jeep brand, Fiat is poised to rapidly expand its line-up through the first half of this decade. This process will start with the production version of the Centoventi concept that was revealed at last year’s Geneva Motor Show. Boss Olivier François (below right) says ruthless focus…

THE FUTURE OFFIAT: 500XL • Next-generation 500X and 500L models are likely to merge • If they’re based on the 500 Electric platform, they’ll be solely EVs John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy FIAT is likely to merge the 500X and 500L models for their next generation, which should use the same underpinnings as the newly launched all-electric 500. The SUV and MPV versions of the existing 500 have been on sale since 2014 and 2012 respectively. The 500X has been a strong performer for Fiat, shifting between 75,000 and 105,000 units across Europe alone during the past five years. Yet while the 500L did nudge 95,000 sales in 2014, its numbers dropped back to around 36,000 units last year as customers moved away from MPVs towards crossovers and SUVs. A seven-seater is still…

“The project will have the synergies of scale to ensure that this vehicle would be available at a very cheap price for consumers” Steve_Fowler@dennis.co.uk @stevefowler KIA will take advantage of a shift away from public transport with a new, allelectric small car set to rival Citroen’s Ami. The Ami has made waves across the automotive industry, having just gone on sale in France with a list price starting from 6,000 Euros (£5,252) or a lease deal with a 2,641 Euros deposit (£2,311) and only 19.99 Euros (£17.50) per month. Speaking exclusively to Auto Express, Kia Motors Europe COO Emilio Herrera said: “People want to feel safe today. We saw that very clearly from a survey that was done after coronavirus in China, which showed people had moved from public transportation…

“New Targa continues with traditional metallic hoop – replacing B-pillars – and large glasshouse rear window” James_Brodie@dennis.co.uk @jimmybrods THE latest 992-generation Porsche 911 line-up has grown with the arrival of the all-new Targa version. The model is on sale in the UK now, priced from £98,170, and first deliveries are due in August. The Targa was first introduced in 1965, and this model continues with the traditional metallic hoop – replacing the B-pillars – and large glasshouse rear window, to create this variant’s iconic appearance. The entire glasshouse can be raised or lowered in 19 seconds, while the retractable roof panel is stowed behind the seats. Elsewhere, the new Targa keeps the evolutionary design changes introduced on the latest-generation 911. That means a wide rear end with an extending spoiler…

Luke_Wilkinson@dennis.co.uk @LT_Wilkinson THE rebirth of the MGB looks to be edging closer to reality, after official sketches of a new sports car concept were released by the reborn British brand. Now under the ownership of Chinese company SAIC, MG has already promised that a production version of the fully electric e-Motion concept from 2017, a two-door coupé, will launch in 2021, and now it appears the firm could be lining up another. These official sketches were posted on social media by SAIC’s London-based design studio, clearly identifying the model as the Cyberster. Little information has been published by MG itself about the new concept, but the company did say that it was “something very exciting in the making, designed and developed by the UK and Shanghai design teams.” “Pictures reveal…