Good news: Fiat's cool Centoventi concept will live on in the new Panda

Remember the five-door hatchback Fiat previewed back in 2019 called the Centoventi? It was originally billed as the car to take the baton from the Panda, but after the initial excitement, we were treated to several years of radio silence.

But now, we’ve come to learn that the ethos behind the Centoventi has actually been woven into the forthcoming lineup of all-new Pandas, of which five models will be sparingly released over the next few years.

“The Centoventi is definitely embedded into these concepts”, says Fiat design chief Francois Leboine. “It translated the true philosophy of Fiat in terms of simplicity, affordability and flexibility.”

You can actually make out a few similarities between the two… if you squint hard enough. But why did Fiat drop the Centoventi in the first place?

“We didn’t have the opportunity before Stellantis to make it happen, but now we do. So what you’ll see in the future and through these concepts, for me, is a complete connection with the Centoventi. The shaping and translation are perhaps a bit more modern and digital, but the philosophy is still there.”

The idea of sprinkling a modern design with a few retro traits has also become a big thing for manufacturers as a way to tap into the nostalgia many still have for models of old. We’ve seen it with cars like the Renault 5, and the new Panda range will follow much the same route.

“We tried to recall some cues from the very first Panda by finding elements of simple surfacing. We tried to add in the robust wheel arches and a cocktail of the original’s three main lines: the bottom, the bed and the roof. You’ll also see an inclination between the rear glass and the front glass. There’s a lot of tension in the surfacing, but it always finishes with a smooth turn.

“We mixed the past with an avant-garde design. This collaboration of different designs is the design, and we’ll play more with this I think in the future. It’s the best way to create things we love for longer, and that’s my design view.”