Six months have passed in 2026. It has now been a little over a year since Antonio Filosa took the helm at Stellantis, and more than a year since Fiat has begun shipping its Fiat Grande Panda, and it's been about six months since the new Fiat 500 hybrid has begun sales. This makes it the perfect time to take an initial look at the Italian brand's global performance.
And the picture is mixed: Fiat is regaining ground in several major markets, thanks in particular to the Grande Panda, but some models are already raising questions.
Brazil: Still Fiat's Stronghold
As is often the case, let’s start with Brazil, Fiat’s largest market worldwide. It’s a country that Antonio Filosa knows particularly well, since he spent much of his career there between 2006 and 2023, gradually rising through the ranks.
June 2026 was a very strong month, with 49,080 new vehicle registrations. While this isn’t an all-time record, it places Fiat at the high end of its recent performance range—and, more importantly, represents an increase of nearly 8,000 cars compared to June 2025.
For the first half of 2026 as a whole, Fiat recorded a total of 270,946 registrations, compared with 241,428 a year earlier. That represents a 12 % increase. It’s hard to predict how the year will end, but if this momentum continues, Fiat could approach 600,000 registrations in Brazil in 2026. This impressive volume confirms the strength of the local strategy, with a comprehensive lineup tailored to the market. The next challenge, however, will be an interesting one: the arrival of the Fiat Grande Panda, a model designed primarily for Europe. It remains to be seen whether the formula will work just as well on the other side of the Atlantic.
Italy: Finally, a New Beginning Thanks to the Grande Panda
Italy remains Fiat's second-largest market worldwide—and, above all, its most symbolic one. After several difficult years, the numbers are finally heading in the right direction.
In June 2026, Fiat registered 14,016 cars, compared with 11,023 in June 2025. For the full half-year, the brand recorded 106,629 registrations, compared to 82,466 the previous year—a 29.% increase. Even better: Fiat is performing better than in 2024 and 2023. Finally, the brand is gaining ground in its home market.
But a closer look at the figures reveals a more complex picture. The classic Fiat Panda remains the top-selling model with 62,852 units. In other words, the old Panda still accounts for more than half of Fiat’s sales in Italy. This is obviously excellent news for the Termoli plant, which continues to produce GSE engines, but it also highlights the immense challenge facing its replacement.
The pleasant surprise comes from the Grande Panda. With 23,011 registrations, it ranks third in its segment behind the Jeep Avenger (another Stellantis model). This is an encouraging result after just one year on the market. However, only 1,169 of those were electric models.
Then things get complicated. The Fiat 600 ranks only 27th with 9,458 units, including 602 electric models. For a model launched in 2023 and expected to spearhead Fiat’s revival in Europe, the results are mixed. As for the Fiat 500, the situation is even more dire: it doesn’t even appear in Italy’s top 50. That translates to fewer than 5,400 registrations over six months. All we know is that the electric version accounts for 764 units. It has to be said: in Italy, this is a failure.
The comparison is all the more interesting given that the Leapmotor T03, a small Chinese electric car sold at a competitive price, has reached 21,841 registrations. This is an important indicator for the future electric Panda: in Italy, price seems to be the key factor.
Argentina: Back to Normal After the Euphoria
As Fiat's third-largest market, Argentina continues to post strong sales figures, but the exceptional period of 2025 appears to be over.
In June 2026, Fiat registered 4,413 cars, compared with 7,201 in June 2025. For the first half of the year, the brand reached 33,054 units, down 22 % from the 42,332 registrations in the first half of 2025. The Fiat Cronos remains the brand’s flagship model in the country.
Turkey: What Does the Future Hold After the Tipo?
For a long time, Turkey was Fiat’s third-largest market worldwide, mainly thanks to the Tipo. But year after year, this market seems to have been gradually neglected. While the Tipo had already been phased out in Europe, it continued to be sold locally. A chapter has come to a close, as production officially ended on June 30, 2026.
Fiat still had a very good June with 6,534 registrations, likely driven by the model’s end-of-life. In the first half of 2026, the brand sold 24,135 cars, compared to 33,068 a year earlier. It will be interesting to see what happens next. Fiat is expected to continue clearing out its Tipo inventory, while the Grande Panda is now hitting the market, likely via production in Algeria.
Germany: The Electric Grande Panda Is Gaining a Following
In Germany, Fiat is also rebounding, with 16,601 registrations in the first half of 2026, compared with just 8,663 a year earlier. The increase is significant, even though the brand is still below 2023 levels, when it exceeded 19,000 units.
Here are the details:
- Fiat 500: 7,547 units (including 2,390 hybrids)
- Fiat Grande Panda: 4,562 units (including 2,095 electric models)
- Fiat 600: 2,690 units (including 202 electric vehicles)
- Fiat Panda: 1,116 units
Two interesting findings: one in three Fiat 500s is now sold as a hybrid, while nearly one in two Grande Pandas is electric. On the other hand, as in Italy, the Fiat 600 is struggling to win over buyers. Too expensive? Not «Dolce Vita» enough? A positioning problem seems to be emerging.
France: Fiat Is Rebounding, But Not Yet Back to Where It Was
The trend is the same in France. After several difficult years, Fiat is making progress, with 16,471 registrations in the first half of 2026, compared to 9,738 a year earlier. But keep in mind: the brand is still far from the more than 20,000 units sold in 2023 and 2024. We’ll likely have to wait until 2027 to see if Fiat truly regains its momentum.
Here are the details:
- Fiat Panda: 2,870 units
- Fiat 500: 2,423 units (including 1,708 electric models)
- Fiat Grande Panda: 2,368 units (including 1,621 electric models)
- Fiat 600: 1,144 units (including 956 electric vehicles)
- Fiat Tipo: 275 units
The figures are very similar to those in Germany, with one notable difference: Germans buy more Fiat 500s, while the French remain more attached to the Panda.
Spain: An Almost Imperceptible Increase
In Spain, the results are much less impressive. Fiat recorded 6,829 registrations in the first half of 2026, compared with 6,536 in 2025. With the arrival of the Grande Panda and the Fiat 500 Hybrid, one might have hoped for better.
The breakdown is surprising:
- Fiat 600: 2,805 units
- Fiat 500: 1,640 units
- Fiat Grande Panda: 1,427 units
- Fiat Panda: 851 units
- Fiat Tipo: 104 units
Unlike in other countries, the Fiat 600 is the top-selling model in the lineup. However, its sales are down by about 30 % compared to the previous year. Ultimately, it is the Grande Panda that makes up for this decline.
United Kingdom: Fiat Overwhelmed by the Chinese Wave
The United Kingdom remains a weak spot. Fiat recorded only 3,748 registrations in the first half of 2026, compared with 6,136 in 2025, 8,647 in 2024, and more than 10,000 in 2023.
The brand is struggling significantly in a market where Chinese automakers are growing very rapidly. By way of comparison, BYD has already reached 37,795 registrations, Jaecoo 34,067, Omoda 18,761, and Chery 17,979. This is obviously no excuse, but it shows just how rapidly the British market is changing.
Japan: Italian women's love is no longer enough
Regular readers of Italpassion know this: Japan loves Italian cars, especially for their style and the excitement they evoke. But this affection is no longer reflected in the sales figures.
Fiat recorded 1,561 registrations in the first half of 2026, compared with 1,856 in 2025, 2,199 in 2024, and 2,377 in 2023. The trend is clear: the current lineup no longer seems to meet the expectations of the Japanese market.
United States: Fiat Continues to Push
In the United States, Fiat is pursuing a strategy that is difficult to understand. Olivier François, Fiat's CEO, has always made clear his desire to make the brand successful in the North American market.
Today, the lineup consists mainly of the electric Fiat 500, now joined by the small Topolino, for which the first deliveries have just begun. The result: 237 registrations in six months. It’s hard to imagine that the return on investment for these marketing efforts is positive, but the United States seems to remain Fiat’s little guilty pleasure.
Conclusion: Progress, but Still Many Questions
Fiat's results for the first half of 2026 are encouraging, but they should be viewed with some caution.
In Latin America, the strategy is working perfectly. The product lineup is well-suited to the market, sales volumes are rising, and Brazil could reach nearly 600,000 units in 2026.
In Europe, the situation is more precarious. The Grande Panda is off to a very strong start, particularly in Italy, but Fiat still relies heavily on the older Panda model there. The example of Leapmotor also shows that an affordable small electric car priced under €15,000 could be a real opportunity—provided that manufacturers don’t abandon hybrids too quickly, or they risk cutting sales volumes in half.
The Fiat 600, on the other hand, seems to need some tweaking. It has potential, but it likely lacks either better pricing and engine options or more emotional appeal in its design and interior.
As for the Fiat 500, its future will likely involve a less expensive electric version with a longer range. Unfortunately, the Mirafiori plant in Italy still has cause for concern; the days of producing 180,000 Fiat 500s a year are long gone.
Finally, it would be premature to attribute these more positive results in Europe to Antonio Filosa. The Fiat Grande Panda, the Fiat 600, and the Fiat 500 Hybrid are projects carried over from the Carlos Tavares era. Filosa’s true track record will become clear with the upcoming major launches: the next-generation Panda, scheduled for 2028, and the next generation of the Fiat 500, expected around 2030. For the Fiat Grizzly The model, which is set to be unveiled in a few months, will be a collaboration between Carlos Tavares and Antonio Filosa.
| Country | First half of 2026 | Evolution |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 270946 | 12% |
| Italy | 106629 | 29% |
| Argentina | 33054 | -22% |
| Turkey | 24135 | -27% |
| Germany | 16601 | 92% |
| France | 16471 | 69% |
| Spain | 6829 | 4% |
| United Kingdom | 3748 | -39% |
| Japan | 1561 | -16% |
| United States | 237 | -74% |
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Thanks for the numbers. I think back to the days when they used to sell more than 500,000 Puntos a year… all those customers lost as new model lines came along… As for the 600, the problem is the car itself. Like the DS3, the concept is flawed.