Fiat is in a festive mood as it's blowing out 40 candles on the Panda's birthday cake while refreshing the cutesy city car. Joining the base, City Life, City Cross, and Cross models is a new-for-2021 Panda Sport developed for customers with an "active lifestyle." Pictured here, the latest member of the lineup can be visually distinguished thanks to two-tone 16-inch wheels with a black and red theme.
To spruce up the Panda Sport, Fiat is adding a model-exclusive Matt Gray paint and an optional black roof. The mirrors and door handles come as standard in the same shade as the rest of the body, but can be had with a glossy black look as well. Rounding off the changes on the outside is the "Sport" logo finished in chrome located on the front fender.
James May's previous car (before replacing it with a BMW i3) has been revised inside the cabin as well where the Panda Sport has a titanium-colored dashboard and door cards covered in eco-leather. The headliner comes in black and complements the dark gray upholstery of the seats. As with the other 2021 Panda models, there's a new seven-inch touchscreen with support for digital radio, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto.
The Panda Sport can be had with a newly developed Pandemonio Pack as a throwback to a similar kit launched for the 2006 Panda 100 HP. It comes along with tinted windows, red calipers, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with contrasting red stitching.
When equipped with the 70-horsepower 1.0-liter FireFly Hybrid engine, Fiat says the Panda represents the "most democratic hybrid on the market." The electrified three-pot unit is hooked up to a new six-speed manual gearbox and will be available across the entire range going forward. Go for one of the Cross versions and you can opt for a 4x4 system, with both drivetrains now compatible with methane.
Fiat claims the Panda is the only city car that can be had in hybrid, gasoline 4x4, CNG, and LPG-powered versions, while offering a Mopar-developed D-Fence pack. The latter is essentially a car hygiene kit with a filter, purifier, and even a UV lamp to maintain the interior cabin as clean as possible in these worrying times when everyone should be paying more attention to hygiene.
Approaching its 10th anniversary, the current-generation Fiat Panda has been the best-selling car in domestic market Italy for eight years in a row. Despite being an aging model, the pint-sized vehicle is still going strong by achieving the best market share since the current generation was launched.
