"Jeep Panda" coming in mid-2011?

[Desert Dan]

I am so exicted I don't know what to do.

Should I buy a Panda rather than a Jeep Rubicon Unlimited?

Give me a break!

Why not call the just call the Panda a Fiat 4x4 car.

 

[YJake]

FWIW, I think the Panda 4x4 is a cool little critter.

I'd buy one to drive around town in to save on gas personally. I have a Smart car and love the little bastard. It gets above 40mpg even in bumper to bumper traffic and I've even driven it on the beach before. (Yes, I went on a beach expedition in a Smart car! :smiley_drive: )

I think that the Panda-Jeep would sell like CRAZY if it was marketed right. SMART had people standing in line to get one of the little thing. I was on a 1-1/2yr waiting list to get mine and ended up buying one somebody else failed to pick up after it was shipped over here.

Call me crazy, but having one of those little things to drive around town in and travel some backroads with would be awesome. I hear nothing but good things about it over seas, people here are just butt-hurt about Jeep producing another small vehicle. It's not like they're replacing the Wrangler with it or anything.:ylsmoke:

If they add a Diesel engine, manual transmission, and transfercase with a low range I'll wait in line to buy one. If not... I'll buy one when the craze is over.:coffeedrink:

-Jake

 

[winkosmosis]

It's a shame that the Liberty is being replaced by a car based vehicle. You thought the Cherokee died when the KJ was labelled "Liberty"? Nope, NOW it's dying.

 

[Ron B]

...Hummer, as much as I don't like them, I have to give credit to especially....they have been building big hulking SUVs since the begining (AM General / GM) and not once did they sway from their roots, they KNEW people hated them, but they also knew they had a loyal fan base, and catered strictly to them.....and although they have been sold, they are still going to be around, and are still going to produce nothing but, big hulking SUVs...

...The Wrangler, the Cherokee and the Liberty out sell Land Rover and Hummer vehicles solidly every year...

kind of a funny to say that Jeep and Rover out sold Hummer...I don't think GM really made that many in comparison (maybe 40,000 to 60,000/yr?). If you are talking about AM General, there were only 11,800 H1's made between '92 and '06.

to beat a dead horse (literally) about the hatred, I believe that really kicked in after the H2 was released in early to mid '03 (GM bought the name and took over the marketing in 1999). At the same time here in Cali Huffington was running against Arnie -- she was bashing him for owning H1's and making weird statements about how the hummer was destroying the planet and people who drove them should be tried for treason (she drove an Excursion...I guess that was ok). The majority of the folks who bought them didn't help the situation, neither did GM's marketing.

I do like the idea of keeping it simple, and not trying to fill every niche. I wish diesels would find their way into more jeeps and pickups.

 

[UK4X4]

oooh poor little jeep !


just remember Fiat owns Iveco.............

so you may just get lucky and have one of these with a Jeep badge !

http://www.massif.iveco.com/

airbags and emissions more or less ready to suit the US already

3.0-litre 4-cyl turbodiesel, 176bhp @ 3200-3500rpm, 295lbft @ 1250-3000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear or four-wheel drive
Performance: n/a sec 0-62mph, n/a mph, 25.4mpg, 294g/km CO2
How heavy / made of? 2110kg/steel

 

[Jeff H]

oooh poor little jeep !


just remember Fiat owns Iveco.............

so you may just get lucky and have one of these with a Jeep badge !

http://www.massif.iveco.com/

airbags and emissions more or less ready to suit the US already

3.0-litre 4-cyl turbodiesel, 176bhp @ 3200-3500rpm, 295lbft @ 1250-3000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear or four-wheel drive
Performance: n/a sec 0-62mph, n/a mph, 25.4mpg, 294g/km CO2
How heavy / made of? 2110kg/steel

Is that based off a LR Defender? It sure looks like it. I'd take one of those!

 

[haven]

Right. Santana is a Spanish auto company that has constructed licensed versions of the Land Rover since the 1950s. Santana ended the licensing agreement in the 1980s, in favor of a deal with Suzuki to build versions of the Japanese company's small 4x4s. But Santana continued to build their version of the Defender.

Iveco, Fiat's truck company, and Santana started joint development of a new version of the Defender in 2006. The Iveco Massif pictured in the previous message is the result. Iveco sells a three door version of the Massif as well, calling it the Campagnola.

Iveco had an option to purchase all of Santana in 2010. I don't know if this plan was completed.

So far, Fiat has not announced any plans to bring Iveco vehicles to USA. Remember that trucks built in other countries are hit with a 25% import duty, so they would have to be imported as knock-down kits and assembled here to avoid the tax. (Mercedes imports Sprinters this way.)

 

[Desert Dan]

I hope the bring the Iveco (Daily and Massif 4x4's) line to the states!

 

[baca327]

I hope the bring the Iveco (Daily and Massif 4x4's) line to the states!

x2

 

[NOMADIC_LJ]

The front clip/headlights looks a little goofy but nothing a seven slot grill with round headlights can't fix!!:ylsmoke:

Love the body though! This would make a great replacement for the Liberty

 

[cshontz]

I just don't get you guys. It's just another vehicle. Does having this "ute" with a Jeep badge somehow make your Jeep less manly? You won't buy it, so why is this upsetting you so much?

Agreed. This simply doesn't matter.

The Wrangler is still a proper Jeep, and I don't believe it is scheduled to be changed anytime soon. That being said, who cares what else is in the line-up? If you don't like it, don't buy it. Models come and go based on public interest, or lack thereof, and future Jeeps will be no exception.

Furthermore, whether someone actively uses a Citroen 2CV, or a Fiat Panda to explore the road less traveled, they will get just as much admiration from me as someone who runs a Wrangler Rubicon or a Land Rover 110.

 

[haven]

"...when somebody uses a Citroen 2CV, or a Fiat Panda to explore the road less traveled..."

The Citroën 2CV has a long and distinguished history as a vehicle capable of traversing rough roads. One of Citroën's design goals for the 2CV was the ability to traverse a farmer's fields without benefit of a road. Among the features of the 2CV is adjustable ride height and very long travel independent suspension.

The 2CV proved itself in French colonies around the world, including dirt tracks in Africa, Asia and South America. even though production of the 2CV stopped in 1990, you see 2CVs on the road in these areas.

As for the Fiat Panda, it's found success in the Mongol Rally, that wacky journey across Asia to Ulan Bator in vehicles with engines smaller than 1 liter.

 

[tacomadave]

I like it, i'd buy it for work commuting. Why not?

 

[gleff]

FWIW, I think the Panda 4x4 is a cool little critter.

I've been waiting for something this small for years. I love the sub compacts but none were 4x4 until the SX4 an now the Juke, but the Panda seems to be a higher ride which has my name all over it.

Bring it on, I'm in line !!

 

[winkosmosis]

Because Jeep, as a company, needs to be profitable. If they are not, they WILL go away.

Jeep Wranglers alone will not sustain the entire company. Vehicles with a heavy back road influence will not sustain the entire company. They need to diversify their product mix, or they will be out of business. Then there are NO jeeps.

It is not just about the parent company being profitable. Every subsidiary needs to be profitable on their own as well...because if they are not making money, WHY would they keep it around?

I don't really understand the posts about Jeep needing to be profitable.

For one thing, Jeep isn't a company, Chrysler is. For another, AFAIK the Wrangler and the existing Liberty are profitable.

The Panda reskinned as a Jeep makes sense though. There is a certain segment of the population that buys Compasses and Patriots, and they will buy the Panda. That means more money for Chrysler/Fiat.