Fiat doubles down on small cars

In February 2024, a report on a well-known automotive news service claimed that Fiat was exiting the minicar segment. The headline was misleading as the article discussed plans for replacing the Panda which is bigger than a minicar. What it did not cover, however, was Fiat’s plans for the 500 minicar and its successor. The 500 and its successor, and other models of a similar size, will remain core to Fiat. Indeed, since February, Fiat has made several announcements which confirm that both A-segment minicars and slightly bigger B-segment small cars will remain front and central to the brand’s future, not that this was ever really in doubt. What is interesting is how the brand’s strategy will reflect this, in three different ways.