The European automotive market is preparing for a serious shake-up in the lowest price segment, after Fiat's management unexpectedly lifted the curtain on a new project during the Paris Motor Show. The brand's CEO revealed the registration of the new name Koala, confirming that the technical development of the compact electric car is fully completed, although its appearance in showrooms is planned for a later stage.
The new model is built on the concern's latest Stellantis platform, designed for affordable electric vehicles, which puts it in the position of a direct technical twin of the recently shown Citroen 2 CV. Despite the shared architecture and similar target price of around 15,000 euros, the Italian leader stressed that the Koala will not rely on retro styling, but will follow the recognizable and practical design lines of the classic Panda.
The strategic decision to postpone the premiere of the Koala comes from the desire to avoid internal competition and overshadowing the French analogue, whose market launch is scheduled earlier. In this way, Fiat prefers to wait for the right moment, ensuring that the two affordable electric vehicles will establish themselves independently on the market, relying on an identical technical basis, but with a completely different visual character and interior layout.