Fiat Brings the Grande Panda to Israel, Priced Above the Citroën C3

Fiat has started selling a private passenger car in Israel for the first time in seven years. The new Grande Panda, a colorful supermini, shares its platform and mechanical components with the Citroën C3, but arrives at a higher price.

The model reaches Israel at an entry price of 119,000 shekels, which is 4,000 to 11,000 shekels more than the C3. Fiat says the car is part of a broader push made possible by its years of cooperation with Peugeot-Citroën, which has made new models cheaper to develop through shared platforms.

The Grande Panda is powered by a 1.2-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with mild hybrid assistance, producing a combined 110 horsepower. It is paired with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 10 seconds, and is rated at 18.5 km per liter. On paper, those figures are almost identical to the C3, except the Fiat is 0.2 seconds slower and uses 1.5 km per liter more fuel.

Fiat is not bringing the manual version offered in the C3, which has 101 horsepower, a six-speed gearbox, a 10.6-second sprint to 100 km/h, and fuel consumption of 17.8 km per liter. The Grande Panda will be offered in Icon and La Prima trim levels. Fiat has not sold a new private car in Israel for years, focusing instead on commercial vehicles such as the Ducato, Scudo, and Doblo, while its only current passenger model had been the 500.