The upcoming small electric car priced under €15,000 from Fiat continues to be the talk of the town. For several months now, clues have been piling up regarding Stellantis’ E-Car project, which is expected to allow the group to re-enter the market for very affordable city cars. But one question remains unanswered: what will this new Fiat actually be called? Pandina? Panda? Or perhaps Koala, a name recently trademarked by the Italian automaker?
Since our initial reports, several pieces have fallen into place. And the more we learn, the clearer the future Fiat lineup seems to become… while still retaining an air of mystery.
A small electric Fiat based on Leapmotor
This small electric city car project is no longer really a secret. Stellantis is developing a new line of affordable cars that will be produced starting in 2028 at the Pomigliano d’Arco plant in Italy, where the Fiat Pandina and Alfa Romeo Tonale are currently assembled.
The goal is simple: to offer a European electric car priced around €15,000—a price point that has become extremely difficult to achieve through traditional development. To accomplish this, Stellantis appears to have found an unexpected solution: leveraging the expertise of Leapmotor, its Chinese partner brand.
According to the latest news, the Leapmotor T03 would thus serve as the technical foundation for the group’s future electric cars. This platform would help reduce costs while maintaining European production. The future Citroën, inspired by the 2CV, and the next small Fiat would therefore share the same philosophy: simplicity and affordability. The Fiat is expected to measure about 3.70 meters—a length similar to the current Fiat Panda—and aim for a reasonable range of around 250 km rather than competing in the race for larger batteries.
The Return of the Spirit of the Original Panda
In terms of design, several clues already point in the same direction. The Fiat Ippo prototype unveiled at Milan Design Week, the images shown during Stellantis’ Investor Day, and various reports from Italy all suggest a very compact car with simple, boxy lines.
The idea would be to recapture the spirit of the original Panda: a practical, affordable car designed first and foremost as a tool for everyday life.
In fact, the plans presented by Stellantis in late 2024 and then throughout 2025 did indeed mention two new models based on the STLA Small platform (which will ultimately be a different platform), as well as a new Pandina. This is an interesting detail, as this lineup could now correspond to the three expected models: an Opel, a Citroën 2CV, and a Fiat Pandina.
And at the Investor Day in June 2026, Stellantis still explicitly mentioned the Pandina. This suggests that the name still has a future. But then, where does that leave the name Koala?
First hypothesis: Pandina becomes Koala
This is the first possible scenario. Fiat might ultimately decide to change the brand identity of this future small car.
Why? Because the lineup risks becoming confusing. Today, Fiat already has the Panda—which has been renamed the Pandina—as well as the Grande Panda. However, here’s an interesting detail: on the body of the latter, the manufacturer never writes “Grande Panda,” but simply “Panda.”.
So we could imagine a gradual transition: the Grande Panda would simply become the Panda, while the future small electric city car would take on a new name. And that name could be Koala. This would allow Fiat to avoid having three cars with very similar names: Pandina, Panda, and Grande Panda.
This wouldn't be the first time in the Italian automaker's history. Fiat had already adopted a similar strategy with the Punto and the Grande Punto. The two models coexisted for several years before the new generation gradually took over as the main model.
Second hypothesis: Koala is another Fiat
But there is another possibility: Pandina and Koala could simply be two different models. Some speculate, for example, that Stellantis’s future E-Car might ultimately be named Koala, while the current Pandina would be replaced by a new generation.
This scenario, however, raises an important question: what role would remain for this future Pandina? The new E-Car announced for Pomigliano d’Arco takes on precisely the same positioning as the current Panda: a small, popular, simple, and affordable car, measuring about 3.70 meters in length. In other words, exactly the role the Italian city car has played for decades. It therefore seems difficult to imagine Fiat producing two models so similar in size, price, and philosophy at the same plant. Unless, of course, the brand decides to sharply differentiate the two vehicles—for example, with an all-electric Koala and a multi-fuel Pandina.
Another possibility, then, is that “Koala” refers to an entirely different Fiat project. The brand is already preparing the upcoming Grizzly, followed by a new generation of the Fiat 500 around 2030–2031. The name “Koala” could then be reserved for a model that is still unknown, intended to expand this new Fiat family—inspired by animal names—after 2030. For now, Fiat is keeping it a mystery. But if the Italian automaker has trademarked the name “Koala,” there’s likely a strategy behind it.
Fiat's lineup is undergoing a major reorganization
One thing, however, seems increasingly clear: Fiat is preparing a major overhaul of its lineup in the coming years. The Grande Panda will gradually take on greater prominence, a new affordable small car will arrive in 2028, the 500 family will be revamped around 2030, and other models are still expected.
Now we just need to find out exactly where the Koala fits into this new lineup. Is it just a new name for the upcoming electric Pandina? Or is it a truly separate model? Fiat has registered the name, so there must be a reason. We’ll have to wait and see what it is.
| Car | Segment |
|---|---|
| Fiat Topolino | Microcar |
| Fiat Multipla | Microcar |
| Fiat Koala | A |
| Fiat 500 | A |
| Fiat Panda (formerly Grande Panda) | B |
| Fiat 600 | B |
| Fiat Grizzly | C |
English 
French 
Italian 
Spanish 
German 
Japanese 
Dutch
Piemonte and Espresso are my suggestions for a name for this small Fiat.
A quick question about the Grizzly: Since it’s based on the platform used for the Frontera and C3 Aircross—which are B-segment SUVs—I keep reading everywhere that the Grizzly, on the other hand, is a C-segment SUV. Why is that?
The C-segment includes the 3008 and the Grandland. We're a long way from that, aren't we?
If anyone has the answer, I'd love to hear it!
Actually, the segments are kind of the black sheep at Stellantis. The Fiat Grizzly is in the C segment even though it’s only 4.4 m long, and the upcoming Alfa Romeo Tonale—also in the C segment—will be nearly 4.7 m long, which is almost the size of a Stelvio, which was in the D segment. It seems like each brand has its own segments, which tend to be getting larger. That would put Segment A at 3.7 m, Segment B at 4 m, Segment C at 4.4 m, Segment D at 4.8 m, and Segment E at 5 m and up. In short, the Drontera is more of a C-segment car than a B-segment one, in my opinion.