The tiny Fiat Panda is to hit the big screen next year when it makes a cameo appearance in the next James Bond movie, Casino Royale. While the suave British 'Secret Service' agent James Bond will not be swapping his usual Aston Martin for Fiat's award-winning baby, the new Panda SUV - which will be making its debut public in a matter of months - is expected to be the chosen transport for the latest 'Bond girl'.

The new James Bond film - the 21st of this highly successful and long running movie franchise - with be called 'Casino Royale' and center around a re-make of the original Ian Flemming book which formed the basis of the first ever cinematic appearance for Bond. Actor Pierce Brosnan who has played James Bond in the last four films - the most recent of which aired in 2002 - will not be returning to the role, and fierce speculation now surrounds which actor will assume the mantle of the heroic secret agent.

Martin Campbell will direct Casino Royale and this will be Campbell's second time as helm of a James Bond film. In 1995 he directed the hit Goldeneye which introduced Pierce Brosnan to the role of 007 with great success.

Born in New Zealand, Campbell moved to England in 1966 and made his directorial debut on the popular TV series' 'The Professionals' and 'Minder'. He moved to America in 1986 to direct 'Criminal Law' and 'Defenceless'. Following Goldeneye, he went on to direct 'The Mask Of Zorro', 'Vertical Limit' and 'Beyond Borders' and is currently directing 'Legend Of Zorro'.

'Casino Royale' will hit the big screens in December 2006 with shooting expected to begin as soon as Campbell finished the Zorro sequel. The film will be distributed worldwide by MGM.

The new Fiat Panda SUV was first presented as a mock-up - called the Simba - at the 2002 Bologna Motor Show, and this model was again presented at the Geneva Salon the next year. A working showcar, featuring the Simba's rugged, pumped-up looks, appeared at the Bologna Show in 2004 and with a launch date looming prototypes have been frequently spotted on the Italian roads in recent months.
 

Building on the success of the Panda 4x4, the new model - expected to be called the Simba - will feature bigger bumpers, round lights at the front and rear, a raised ride height and aluminium protection plates. Aimed squarely at the 'lifestyle' buyer, it will however have genuine off-road capability.

The Panda is scheduled to be driven in 'Casino Royale' by the actress who is cast into the role of 'Bond Girl' Vesper Lynd, a character who was played in the original 1967 movie by Swiss-born Ursula Andress. Rumours that the Panda will be mounted with machine guns and rocket launchers, jet propulsion devices, seem to be sadly somewhat wide of the mark! The Panda - which is a previous winner of the highly prestigious European Car of the Year Award - will also be making an appearance in a popular computer game in the near future.