After a very complicated 2025, marked by a 25 % drop in European sales, Fiat finally seems to be getting back on its feet. At the time, the figures were worrying: -30 % in Germany, -37 % in France, -35 % in Spain... in short, a brutal descent that confirmed the brand's structural difficulties on the Old Continent.
But as the saying goes: when you hit rock bottom, you can only go up. And the first results for 2026 seem to point in that direction. Fiat has announced growth of 25 % in Europe. Behind all the hype, what's really going on? Do the Fiat Grande Panda and Fiat 500 Hybrid live up to their promises? We checked the figures country by country.
Brazil still untouchable
It's impossible to talk about Fiat without starting with Brazil, the brand's mainstay. In the first quarter of 2026, Fiat registered 126,602 cars there, compared with 110,594 a year earlier, an increase of 14 %.
The dynamic remains impressive. With a complete range from city car to pickup, a variety of engines and regular renewals, Fiat continues to dominate the market. And it's probably not over yet: the forthcoming arrival of the Grande Panda with FireFly hybrid engine could further strengthen this already ultra solid position.
In Italy, the expected rebound is finally here
In its historic market, Fiat is finally coming out of its stagnation. After 174,000 registrations in 2023, then 143,000 in 2024 and... another 143,000 in 2025, the brand was clearly at a standstill.
But the first quarter of 2026 changed all that: 61,407 cars registered compared with 47,291 a year earlier, an increase of 30 %. A real relief. In detail, the Fiat Panda remains untouchable with 37,029 units. But the real news is the rise of the Grande Panda, already 3ᵉ of the Italian market with 13,186 registrations. Behind the Jeep Avenger, but with clear potential to aim even higher.
The Fiat 600 continues to settle in quietly, while the Fiat 500 returns to the top 50 with 4,190 units. A timid comeback, but enough for Fiat to assert that it remains the leader of the A segment... even if it is now alone.
Argentina explodes
If Brazil is the base, Argentina is clearly becoming Fiat's second engine. After growth of 64 % in 2025, the brand will accelerate further in 2026.
With 41,197 registrations in the first quarter, compared with 21,755 a year earlier, growth reached 89 1Q3. A spectacular figure. By March 2026, Argentina had almost reached the level of Italy. In other words, the battle for Fiat's place as the world's second-largest market is now on. One thing is certain: between Brazil and Argentina, Latin America is carrying the brand like never before.
Turkey back in the limelight
Long driven by the Fiat Tipo, Turkey had suffered from a lack of range renewal and an overly electrically oriented offering on certain models.
But the situation is changing. With the arrival of the hybrid and electric versions of the Grande Panda, Fiat is back on track. After a difficult January, February and March turned things around. The result: 20,040 registrations in the first quarter of 2026 compared with 14,900 in 2025, an increase of 36 %. A second wind seems possible in this historically favorable market.
Germany doubles its volumes... but remains a special case
After a drop of 30 % in 2025, Germany is finally showing signs of recovery. Fiat registered 7,222 cars there in the first quarter of 2026, compared with 3,427 a year earlier. Volumes have therefore quite simply doubled. Interestingly, the Fiat 500 remains the star performer with 2,799 units, including 560 hybrids. The Grande Panda follows with 1,996 registrations, ahead of the 600, Tipo and Panda.
However, the German market remains atypical. A country of large premium cars, it paradoxically continues to favor the little Fiat 500, particularly in electric form. It remains to be seen whether the Grande Panda will make a lasting impact, or whether we'll have to wait for more suitable models, such as a larger SUV in the future.
France off to a flying start
After a catastrophic year in 2025 (-37 %), France is finally showing signs of recovery. With 7,914 registrations in the first quarter of 2026, compared with 5,442 in 2025, the increase reaches 45 %.
In detail, sales are relatively balanced between the Grande Panda, 600 and 500, each around 2,000 units. The Panda and Tipo complete the picture. Clearly, things are looking up. But Fiat is still a long way from its historic levels in this key market.
Spain makes progress... but lags behind
In Spain, the increase is more measured: 3,677 registrations in the first quarter of 2026 versus 2,968 a year earlier, i.e. +24 1TP3Q.
An encouraging figure, but one to be put into perspective. The Spanish market had already fallen by 35 % by 2025, and current volumes are still around half those of the best years. The Fiat 600 dominates, ahead of the 500 and the Grande Panda, but the brand is still in the rebuilding phase.
The United Kingdom, still in difficulty
In contrast to the rest of Europe, the UK continues to stall. With just 1,612 registrations in the first quarter of 2026, compared with 4,084 in 2025, the fall is severe.
The month of March, with 1,167 units, offers some slight hope, but it remains low. Delays in delivery of the Grande Panda didn't help, and the question now clearly arises: are the British turning away from Fiat for good?
Japan and the United States: anecdotal markets
In Japan, Fiat's volumes remain modest, at around 4,000 to 5,000 cars a year. The first quarter of 2026 confirms the trend, with 760 registrations, down slightly.
In the USA, the situation is even more marginal. After 1,321 sales in the whole of 2025, Fiat registered just... 155 cars in the first quarter of 2026. A figure virtually identical to 2025. In other words, the brand's presence in this market still raises questions.
A real but still fragile rebound
In the end, the picture is quite clear. Fiat is progressing almost everywhere in 2026, especially in Europe where the rebound is finally visible after several years of decline.
But the reality remains mixed. Latin America remains by far the main driving force, with Brazil still dominant and Argentina booming.
In Europe, the recovery is encouraging but comes after a sharp downturn. The Grande Panda is already playing a key role, and the challenge will be to confirm this momentum in the months ahead.
For beyond this rebound, one question remains unanswered: Can Fiat once again become a strong brand in Europe without relying so heavily on Brazil and Argentina? Future models, such as the Grizzly and Grizzly Fastback projects, will undoubtedly have a decisive role to play.
italpassion figures: please let us know if you use them again, respecting the time you spend on them.
| Country | Registrations Q1 2026 | Change n-1 |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 126602 | 14% |
| Italy | 61407 | 30% |
| Argentina | 41197 | 89% |
| Turkey | 20240 | 36% |
| France | 7914 | 45% |
| Germany | 7222 | 111% |
| Spain | 3677 | 24% |
| United Kingdom | 1612 | -61% |
| Japan | 760 | -15% |
| United States | 155 | -70% |
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It's proof that Fiat exists and has a lot of potential!
Author missed the Fiat at #8 in March/Germany: 4.000 Ducato's / 9.600 in Q1.
Hello, no, that's intentional-I only include passenger cars. It wouldn't be fair to include commercial vehicles because they aren't sold in every country, and not all brands offer them, so that would skew the comparisons. It will always be this way.
With 3 brands offering the same thing in the Stellantis group, Fiat is unlikely to return to an interesting level. Citroën should leave the low-cost market to Fiat, and Opel should offer low-cost, high-end products. Citroën should absorb DS and do better than the other 2 ... alas, that's not the way to go.
Three brands offering the same thing, one does not prevent the other, the choice is for the customer who prefers the Grande Panda, the other the C3 and then Opel its Corsa and then ????
What's new? Citroën's brand image is already more prestigious than Peugeot's or Renault's, which have a low-end image. For once, he's right, because DS should disappear in favor of Citroën, which has suffered too much from Peugeot's blockage for decades, and should, like Lancia, limit itself to high-margin products. Above all, these 2 brands should once again become the group's technological laboratory.
Scudric
«Citroën's brand image is already more prestigious than that of Peugeot or Renault».»
Since recently ... Before the Puretech, Peugeot's image was excellent, worthy of an «almost» Premium!
Citroën has been producing low-cost products for decades!
DS is Citroën Premium... Mixing towels and cloths has never worked well!
Wrong, because Peugeot has a generalist image all over the world and only makes low-end cars, whereas Citroën has much more prestigious cars in its history that are recognized the world over.
They were the ones who wanted to break Citroën's image, just as Simca did much better than Peugeot!
Clearly, we don't mix dish towels (Peugeot) with napkins (Citroën).
DS is precisely an aberration that no one has taken seriously, and that's why this brand has never worked and never will. Before the puretech or the TPH, PSA was practically bankrupt at the time.
You can't change history to suit yourself.
Hans
The VW Group has been doing this for over 30 years, so why should we want to do things differently?
There are plenty of Europeans who only buy Fiat or Citroën or Opel or Peugeot, etc. and nothing else.
And buying habits are different in every country, so even with identical 90 % products, preferences aren't the same - that's just the way it is!
Well, if what VW and Stellantis do is the same to you, I can't help you, sorry. Don't believe the nonsense written by the so-called car press! Stellantis is more like the GM of the “great era“, except that margins were very comfortable (well, until the 2000s) and their shoddy management was forgotten.
Hans
Of course it's the same policy, as even Ferdinand Piëch said in his day that he'd taken a leaf out of the PSA Group's book from the 80s!
It's so obvious that it's not an opinion, it's information!
The policy of clones and gigognes, has worked remarkably well for 50 years!!!!
After the success and reliability of the various models, that's another matter.
But from a common base of 60 to 90 %s, dozens of models are developed.
I don't know where you see the difference!
We see the results at VAG 🤣
Audi in agony
Seat soon finished
VAG is crying out to see its customers go to Skoda or Cupra, who hold the group together.
And we're not talking about Porsche, which is sinking deeper and deeper into the red!
Chrysler, Ford, GM Stellantis and VAG, the same mistake with the same result.... bankruptcy.
And no, this method hasn't worked, because year after year, the 3 American groups have closed many brands!
No, not exactly, because Pïech had taken the 3 largest groups as examples and boasted about wanting to establish the same strategy as Toyota when he admitted to having been inspired by Subaru and 4WD for the Audi brand, but he must have forgotten to read some chapters because Hyundai has applied the Toyota method and they've succeeded big time.
Wenn Stellantis es jetzt noch schafft, den 1.5 l 130ps Diesel mit einer Steuerkette anzubieten, dann werde ich auch einen kaufen.
And why not the Firefly hybrid dcs-6, except for concerns about the reliability of this automatic gearbox?
I'm really sad to see the situation of Fiat here in the U.K. My grandad had a green 131 in the late 70s and as a young toddler I remember I loved the sound of the purr of its engine! I've owned two Fiats, so it's sad to see Fiat reduced to nearly nothing here now. I'm sure the Fiat 500 was sometimes in the top ten of car sales at one time, so I'm hoping the Grande Panda will improve things dramatically this year.
For Turkiye the Grande Panda has almost no effect for market situation. The selling vehicles of Q1 2026 as follows (approximately):
Egea/Tipo Sedan & Cross 10,050
Doblo Combi / Cargo + Ducato 9,700
Scudo / Ulysee 2,300
Grande Panda Hybrid & Electric only 685