Emphasising the importance of the new Panda to Fiat Auto UK's plans, two models, one in Eleganza specification, the other in Dynamic, have been presented on their own dedicated platform at the centre of the Fiat display at the Motor Show Live.

They were joined by the four-wheel drive Panda SUV, which made its British debut in Birmingham. The SUV received its world premiere last September at the Frankfurt IAA but will not arrive onto the UK market until early 2005.

The four wheel drive Panda SUV is immediately identifiable by a series of prominent new visual features which include a raised ride height, large aggressive bumpers, round headlights, fog lights and tail lights, thick wheel arch and door mouldings, and aluminium protective plates.

The Panda range, which arrived on these shores late last year, has been a huge hit for Fiat Auto UK. It has instantly recaptured the essence and imagination of the original Panda, which was popular with English car buyers two decades ago. In the hotly contested A-segment, the new model was pitched against popular and well-established rivals, including the Daewoo Matiz, Smart, Suzuki Alto and Daihatsu Charade.

The Panda immediately jumped to the top of the segment despite a limited allocation of cars heading for Britain. Already this year, up to the end of April, 3138 of these cute new little Fiats have found UK buyers, giving the Panda a 37% share of the market for small cars. These figures are well ahead of the Suzuki Alto, the next best seller, which saw 2862 registered by the end of April, the Daewoo Matiz with 2425, and the popular Smart, which chalked up 2104 sales.

The three Panda models being shown in Birmingham, a red 1.2 8V in Eleganza trim, a lime green version, also with a 1.2 8V engine, but presented in Dynamic specification, and the four wheel drive SUV, offer a glimpse at a strong future for Italy's mass car producer in Britain, and The Car Enthusiast will be driving the Panda later this summer. Watch out for the review in the main Road Tests page.

ItaliaSpeed - 9 Jun 2004