Report: Fiat to Begin Assembly of New 2012 Panda Mini in November

The first examples of the successor to Fiat’s current generation Panda city car will roll off the production line in Italy this November, according to a top Fiat executive. The third generation of the Panda is scheduled to make its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in mid-September.

"We are on track in refurbishing Pomigliano, which will become a truly state-of-the-art plant when it begins production in November," Fiat Group chief manufacturing officer Stefan Ketter told Autonews Europe.

Last year, Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne announced that the updated Pomigliano d'Arco plant in central Italy would manufacturer the new Panda as part of the firm’s “Fabbrica Italia” (Italian factory) plan to increase vehicle productivity in Italy from around 650,000 units in 2010 to approximately 1.4 million cars in 2014.

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Fiat gets Adventurous with new Panda 4x4 Edition

The 'evergreen' Panda 4x4 Adventure is the latest addition to the range of Fiat's small off-road model. Available for order across Europe, the new series that comes with an automatic four-wheel drive system is offered with a choice of a 1.2-liter petrol engine with 60 horsepower and a 1.3 Multijet16V diesel that makes 70 horsepower. Prices in Italy start from €14,100 ($19,750 US) for the petrol model and from €16,000 ($22,400 US) for the diesel - now that's what we'd call an 'adventurous' price range.

Aside from the green paintjob and the color-keyed bumpers, the Panda 4x4 Adventure is distinguished by the gray central badges, the 'bronzed' head- and tail lights and the tinted windows plus the matt black finish for the pillars, the roof bars, the side bars and the mudguard arches.

A set of 14-inch rims painted in dark grey and wrapped in 165/70 M+S tires along with the black framing of the rear lights complete the exterior changes of the new Panda 4x4 variant.

Fiat did not release any photos of the interior but claims that the Adventure features a washable and anti-tear technical fabric in black as well as scratch-resistant floor mats.

Mechanical upgraded are limited to the reinforced suspension that allows a maximum load of 445 kg. Fiat said that it also offers buyers of the Panda 4x4 Adventure the option of ordering the vehicle with just the front seats which increased the rear compartment space to 1,000lt.