A robust design to only one end: i.e. to create a vehicle able to represent a true leap forward in the supermini category and confirms Fiat as its indisputable leader. To do this, Fiat deployed its best resources and poured maximum quality and reliability into the entire product development and construction process. It also developed a profitable co-operative relationship with its outside suppliers. 

This process has brought innovative solutions that now make their first appearance in the segment on the New Panda. For a start, the number of facia components has been reduced by 10% compared to the Fiat Punto (13 fewer parts). The facia beam structure is also much sturdier: this means fewer noises and squeaks and hence a much more silent passenger compartment interior. This new driving comfort is further enhanced by the torsional rigidity of the body that also plays a leading role as far as safety is concerned. The result achieved by the New Panda is 70,500 Nm/radiant: this outstanding result at the peak of its category helps determine the car's great stability and roadholding properties. The number of body weld spots is also 7% higher than on previous models to ensure the car is more compact and more durable. 
The New Panda is created from a robust design that makes quality one of its strengths. Cutting edge reliability methods (FMEA, Robust Design) have been used throughout the design and industrialisation stage. 

Eighty vehicles also performed several road tests to cover a total of one million six hundred thousand kilometres. In the end, the huge amount of data collected and experience gained will increase Fiat Auto's know-how and act as a starting point for the introduction of new models. 

The New Panda is assembled in Tychy in southern Poland. The plant is organised on integrated factory principles and adopts state-of-the-art technologies that assure the product the highest quality and safety standards. At the end of the car's life, all its component materials can be reused. 

Quality and reliability are about more than mere statistics. We also gain important impressions when we see and touch the passenger compartment of a car. When we observe the parts, make ourselves comfortable on the seats, hold the steering wheel and seek out the storage compartments, we can appreciate the pleasant feel of the environment and the quality of the trim and finish. All these sensations add up to 'perceived quality'. 

The overall impression comes from a blend of a thousand different aspects: including the shape of items, their constituent materials, individual colours and colour matches and the tactile sensations they arouse. Stimuli that all play an equal part in determining overall perception. 

For this reason, long hours went into the design of each individual detail of the New Panda. The result is a passenger compartment of quality and substance dominated by pale coloured trim to make the car look brighter. Everything is emphasized by darker-coloured controls and the harmonious design of each surface. 
The final perception is of great sophistication and elegance more typical of a higher segment car. For example, the facia is embossed to ensure a more even surface finish and increase the sensation of opulence. 

This has been achieved through a special laser technology that creates surface microroughness that alters the way light is refracted and makes the material more pleasurable to the touch. The New Panda is also the only car in its category with 99% of the interior surface covered by trim, just as you would expect of a higher segment car. 

Equipment for Comfort

The New Panda is an astoundingly well-equipped car. When they developed the new model, the engineers and designers set themselves the task of surrounding the driver and passengers with engineering that assures the greatest safety coupled with great in-car wellbeing. 

Beginning with the devices that customers now consider essential due to changing habits and lifestyles. The steering, for example, has finally overcome the age-old compromise between achieving the necessary stiffness at speed and desirable ease of manoeuvre while parking. The new system adjusts to car speed and offers a choice between two completely different power steering strategies, one for town driving and the other for rural trips. 

And to continue, a control panel with analogue and digital instruments and controls that are right under the driver's eyes so that all attention can be focused on the road. The array of information is more numerous, varied and detailed than ever before. 

On the New Panda, every last detail speaks of comfort standards worthy of a higher category car: including a parking sensor, timing lights, smart windscreen wipers and follow me home lights that turn off after a delay. Last but not least, the sound-proofing is also outstanding (achieved by reducing noise at source) and component assembly is meticulous. 

Dualdrive Electric Power Steering

The Dualdrive system is one of the features offered by the New Panda that deserves special mention. This power-assisted steering system comes with two operating modes and uses the power generated by an electric motor instead of power from a hydraulic pump driven directly by the engine. 

The steering response of the New Panda's electric steering system is, however, proportional to car speed: the higher the speed, the lower the assistance and the stiffer the wheel response to ensure greater driving precision. 

The system adopted by the new Fiat model is particularly innovative even for an electric power steering system and offers customers an extra feature: i.e. a choice of two different setting programs. The first ensures maximum empathy between driver and car and is ideal for mixed out-of-town routes. The second lightens the steering to minimise effort and is therefore ideal for driving around town and parking manoeuvres. 

To turn on the latter, all you have to do is turn on the city key in the middle of the facia. But fear not if you set off down the motorway with the device in this position: to ensure customers maximum safety in all cases, both programs offer the same degree of power assistance over 35 km/h and therefore ensure a steering wheel response suited to high speed. 

Control Panel 

The instrument panel is enclosed in a smoothly shaped dashboard that blends in beautifully with the facia. Large, easily-visible characters ensure that the round analogue dials are easy to read and inform with immediacy. Night vision is ensured by orange back-lighting. The shade is chosen because it allows the pupil to focus more quickly when changing from the dark road to the brightly lit dashboard. 

The on-board instrument array comes in three different versions according to the specification and is noteworthy for certain important functions. In particular, the third instrument panel level - standard on the Emotion version, and also on the Dynamic when the automatic climate control system or Dualogic gearbox is present - is outstanding for its multifunction display that allows access to various menus (with their own submenus). These speak the same language as the driver (the choice is between Italian, English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and Polish) and give access to very many functions. For example: clock, date, programmable buzzer, and displays for the radio, check control etc. Plus a trip computer that provides a set of information on previous or current trips: fuel consumption (instantaneous and average), average speed, remaining range, journey time (since the trip started) and kilometres covered. 

Parking Sensors

The new model is fitted with a device that helps during parking manoeuvres. When parking, some obstacles located behind the car may be outside the driver's field of vision or the driver may simply not be able to calculate the distance to a car parked behind. This is a job for the parking sensor, which comes into play whenever the ignition is turned on and reverse is engaged. 

The system consists of an electronic control unit, four ultrasound sensors fitted in the rear bumper and a buzzer. The four detectors specifically cover the rear side areas of the car (from a distance of less than 60 cm) and the middle rear areas (from a distance of less than 150 cm). The information is then transmitted to the driver in the form of bleeps at intervals. The bleeps are emitted closer and closer together and become a continuous signal when the car reaches a distance of 30 cm from the obstacle. 

Smart Windscreen Wipers

The windscreen is cleaned by a smart washing system that simultaneously operates a water jet and the wiper with one stalk movement. The wiper starts after 0.5 seconds and ends three sweeps after the stalk has been released. One final sweep is made to remove any residual drops. All versions of the New Panda also come with a wiper with two continual speeds and four intermittent speeds. The same applies to the rear wiper, which also comes with a smart washing system plus continuous and intermittent modes. When the windscreen wiper is active and reverse is engaged, the rear wiper automatically performs a series of cleansing sweeps. 

Lights

Getting in and out of the New Panda is easy even by night in poorly lit areas. To simplify this operation, Dynamic and Emotion versions come with a timed courtesy light: once the key has been inserted in the panel or removed, the courtesy light timer keeps the courtesy lights on for a few seconds even after the doors have been opened or closed and then turns them off gradually. This is ideal if you wish to enter or leave the car at night or under conditions of poor visibility. It allows you to check if you have not left anything inside more easily and also close the car or insert the ignition key. 

The aim is to make the motorist's life easier. And the follow me home headlights pursue the same aim. The device keeps the dipped beams and side lights on for a while even with the engine off and ignition key out. These few minutes are all you need to see the garage door or garden gate in the dark. After this period, the headlights go off - automatically of course. 

The follow me home device is turned on by operating the light flasher stalk within 2 minutes of turning off the engine. Each time the stalk is operated, light activation is extended for 30 seconds up to a maximum of three and a half minutes. 

Acoustic Comfort

So the new car is comfortable, relaxing and noiseless. Noiselessness is a particularly important attribute in a car because it improves the quality of on-board life and helps the driver concentrate on driving so increasing safety. When the New Panda was designed, a set of improvements were applied to reduce all types of noise transmitted to the passenger compartment effectively. The new car body also features very high torsional rigidity (70,500 daNm/rad) that makes possible the outstanding compactness that is the one of the car's strengths. 

Great attention was devoted to the seals and panel damping as well as the choice of soundproofing materials to minimise noise transmission from the engine compartment and tyre rolling noise. The adoption of barycentric engine mountings allows power unit vibrations that reach the body through the blocks to be reduced. The engine mounting blocks are also secured to an area on the rails that guarantees high dynamic rigidity. The exhaust and intake systems are also developed to ensure outstanding acoustic comfort inside the passenger compartment. Not to mention the fact that the multijet injection system on the 1.3 power unit reduces noise emitted by the engine. This benefits interior noise levels, which are among the best in the segment. 
 

Total Protection

Engineers from the Fiat Safety Centre subjected the new model to all possible high-speed collision situations to field-test the efficacy of the integrated protection system developed for the New Panda. They then measured the results against structural and biomechanical requirements laid down by some of the world's toughest standards institutions. The results were as follows. 

Frontal Impact

The New Panda achieved outstanding results in two different types of test: one carried out to US standards, the other to European standards. 

The first was 'Impact against a deformable barrier at 64 km/h'. This crash test examines the protection that the car offers to different body parts. The New Panda fared very well in this type of accident that is dangerous because only one of the front vehicle struts works to absorb impact and the possibility of the steering wheel, facia and pedal unit entering the passenger compartment is very high. 

The second was 'Impact against a rigid barrier at 56 km/h'. The US federal government uses this equally severe test in car type approval tests (but only at 48 km/h). The procedure subjects the driver and passenger dummies to strong deceleration forces. As in the previous test, the New Panda passenger compartment did not crumple and the doors could be opened. 

Load Containment

In the case of head-on impact, the sturdiness of the New Panda seats and the presence of special luggage anchorage points prevent items arranged in the load compartment from striking rear passengers. This was borne out by a test carried out in accordance with German Standard DIN 75410-2 and a very tough Fiat internal test. Following the test, children seated on ISOFIX child seats and adults seated in the back did not experience any injury even when subject to the stress of a load of no less than 70 kg. 

Side Impact

Three internationally recognised tests demonstrate the new model's ability to protect front and rear passengers, even in the eventuality of side impact at high speed. These were as follows: 

- US Static Standard 214, passed by the New Panda when it countered a 45 centimetre intrusion with a force much higher than twice the car's weight. 
- 'Impact against a deformable barrier'. The New Panda responded excellently to this test that simulates a 50 km/h collision between two cars at 90°. All credit is due in this case to the pelvic protection offered by the sturdy door structure, to the abdomen and chest protection afforded by the combined action of the sidebags and the door panels and head protection offered by the window bags. 
- 'Side impact against a pole' specified by US legislation (Standard 201) and recently also by the Euro NCAP consortium. 
- The curtain bag (optional) brings the New Panda up to the maximum score and sets the model at the top of segment A. 

Rear Impact

This test was carried out at 50 km/h in accordance with tough Japanese legislation. The result: the New Panda protects the tank against any type of damage, allows all doors to open easily and ensures a small gap between head-restraint and the dummy's neck and between neck and pelvis in all cases. In other words, the car protects the occupants against dangerous pulling forces on the spine. 

Roll-Over

A structure reinforced by elements made out of high-strength materials, pillar connection beams and window bags ensures the New Panda's occupants a high level of protection even if the car rolls over. 

Pedestrian Protection

The front end of the New Panda has been styled to take into account pedestrian safety. The shape is smooth and rounded and no extending parts are present that could threaten pedestrian safety. The most rigid components are positioned in the engine compartment at a sufficient distance from the bonnet so that the bonnet skin can absorb the energy generated by impact with a pedestrian's head at low power levels. 

Insurance Association Test

This is the name given to tests imposed by insurance category Associations that determine car classifications in some countries (and also insurance premium amounts) on the basis of car repair costs following certain standard crashes. This approach rewards models that experience less damage and cars constructed using a modular system that require only some parts to be replaced instead of the entire part assembly. According to the criteria applied by German insurers, the New Panda was found to be one of the best cars in its category. This means that the car attracts a low insurance premium in Germany. These glowing results are category-topping even when the UK Association classification system is applied. This system also considers the level of car protection against total and partial theft. 

The car has been analysed in detail to reduce repair costs in the case of minor bumps. The New Panda is therefore equipped with sturdy beams inside the bumpers that absorb impact up to 15 km/h without the front rails or body rear becoming deformed and prevent damage to the tailgate. These beams are bolted on and easy to replace to reduce repair costs. The headlights are also designed to ensure they do not break during minor impact. If subject to greater impact, they are designed so that the support brackets alone yield (the brackets are available as spares). Thus the bracket can be replaced alone without replacing the whole headlight for considerable financial saving. 
 

Protection against Breaki-Ins & Theft

Fiat CODE II immobiliser 

The new model is fitted as standard with a Fiat CODE II immobiliser that changes the access code each time the car is started. In some countries, the Fiat CODE II allows drivers to claim more favourable terms when insuring their cars against theft. The device prevents the engine from being started without the car's original key. The key grip contains a transponder, i.e. a transmitter containing an electronic code that sends out a secret code to authorise start-up when interrogated by the electronic control unit. The code is not fixed but changes each time the car is started. The code is also transmitted in encrypted form by means of a secret algorithm (offering billions of combinations). The control unit reads the code by means of a coaxial aerial housed around the ignition key. 

This system offers a maximum level of security. The secret code never appears in uncoded form to any employee in the factory or at the key manufacturer, and the decrypting algorithm is not resident in any of the components installed on the car (i.e. it cannot be copied). In the case of malfunction, it is designed to operate using an emergency program that uses the accelerator pedal to transmit a special code entered on the CODE Card and known only to the owner. 

Central locking 

The New Panda protection system combines the best antitheft protection with a high standard of convenience to the customer. Examples include new generation catches offered as standard throughout the range and an electric handle on the tailgate (standard on Emotion versions and an option on the Dynamic). 
The New Panda, in particular, adopts three door and tailgate opening and closure systems. Firstly, a conventional coded positively activated key that works with the vehicle lock catches. 

The second system is an electric key-operated system that locks all the vehicle doors except the tailgate that has its own special lock. A third central locking device, available as an option, uses a radio-operated remote control. The New Panda remote control has an action radius up to 20 metres and operates the locks on all the doors and the tailgate (in this case, an electrical soft-touch handle is present on the handle near the number plate light). With this configuration, you can also activate a 'Door closure at speed' function from the control panel memory. 

Once this option has been selected, you need worry no more about remembering to do it yourself. When the car exceeds 20 km/h, the doors and boot lock automatically. Anyone inside the car can always get out using the handles. But while you are standing at traffic lights, anyone who is up to no good is shut out and cannot open the boot. You can always let your friends on board by pressing the central door unlocking key on the door armrest.