Fiat is apparently about to launch a new Panda sport edition, a 105bhp TwinAir two-cylinder turbo engine version. The TwinAir engine is already available in the 65bhp and the 85bhp versions but, as a Fiat spokesman declared to Autocar, Fiat is developing a more powerful engine. The engine is flexible enough to have a broad range of power outputs, but 105bhp is the limit without significant re-engineering of the unit.
But let’s try to investigate why Fiat engineers are developing this model. If the new Panda is commercialized, it will be a direct competitor of Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.4 Turbo or Audi A1 1.6 TDi, just to give a couple of examples, and it could also be in direct competition with another model of the Fiat family, Fiat Punto 1.4 MultiAir. If a sport version of the notorious Panda enters the market, its price will be around € 14.000 euros (the TwinAir turbo da 85 bhp starts from € 12.450 Euro) same price as Renault Twingo Gordini 1.2 102 bhp. Other cars with the same features, like Mazda 2 1.5 and Skoda Fabia 1.2 TSi, under 4 meters in length, are priced not less than € 15.000 -15.500.
Can the new Panda be successful in a market where for the same price people can choose between a range of cars in a superior class (Lancia Ypsilon, Seat Ibiza, Peugeot 208, Hyundai i20 and Fiat Punto Evo) though less powerful?
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