Stellantis has revealed its future product roadmap, and Fiat carries a heavier load this time around. The Italian brand is committing to 13 launches across multiple regions under a strategy called “The Sunny Road to 2030,” an unusually large bet on a marque that has spent the last decade leaning almost entirely on the 500 and the Panda.

Starting with Europe, the big news is a new compact SUV duo named the Fiat Grizzly. The model will be available in Fastback and SUV bodystyles serving as the big brother of the Grande Panda. It is designed for “affordable family transformation”, targeting rivals offerings Dacia and Skoda.

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While the official debut of the Grizzly is scheduled for the Paris Motor Show in October, Fiat has shared the first official renderings and they are quite revealing.

The face is upright and squared off, with LED headlights running into an illuminated grille and chunky bumper intakes flanked by ribbed fender cladding. From the A-pillar back, the two body styles share doors and glasshouse, with the differences confined to the rear. The Fastback gets a sloped roofline that almost certainly trims rear headroom and cargo space, while the SUV keeps the upright tail and roof rails for buyers who actually need to use the thing.

The Grizzly duo will ride on the Smart Car architecture, which already underpins the Fiat Grande Panda, Citroen C3, C3 Aircross, and Opel Frontera. The powertrain lineup is expected to include the mild-hybrid 1.2-liter engine and fully electric options.

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The other pillar of the Fiat brand in Europe is Urban Mobility. The Topolino will be joined by a second heavy quadricycle dubbed the Quattrolino. The new model looks like a spiritual successor of the original Multipla from the ’50s, featuring a single-box silhouette and retro styling touches. While it has two doors, it’s name and silhouette hint at a four-seater layout.

Besides the existing 500 and the Tris tricycle, Fiat has also unveiled a rendering of another urban EV. The yet-unnamed model looks like a concept but could preview a future production offering riding on the STLA City architecture and serving as a replacement for the aging Pandina. It has a toy-like stance with a grille-less face and boxy LED headlights sticking out of its short nose. The interior appears to have three seats with the driver in a central position.

As for South America, Fiat targets to remain the best-selling brand in Brazil and Argentina which are crucial markets for its global sales numbers. The automaker will freshen up its lineup with an emphasis on localisation and affordability.

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The headline act is the new generation of the Argo, which is the South American version of the European Grande Panda. The subcompact hatchback with the crossover stance will be joined by three new SUVs. Two of them will likely be the successors of the Pulse and the Fastback, while the third one remains a mystery.

Fiat will also double down on its pickup lineup. The Strada and the Toro unibody pickups are getting new generations, joining the larger Titano.

The cost to fill up in the US has risen sharply in the first few months of 2026, including back-to-back 25-cent weekly jumps that pushed the national average to $4.51 at the time of publishing. The pain isn’t localized either. Gas prices in nearly every country have spiked, and they look set to stay elevated for the foreseeable future.

So, with 2026’s outlook for fuel costs not looking good, and 2027’s not looking much better, what’s a possible solution? Well, many around the world are embracing EVs. New car buyers in countries where consumers are more price-sensitive are lapping up the switch, helped in no small part by the many affordable options offered by Chinese automakers.

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Across Latin America, Africa, and much of Asia (markets that don’t get nearly as much attention as the US, Europe, or China), EV sales soared 79% in March compared to the same month a year prior, according to research firm Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. For all of 2025, that same grouping posted a 48% growth.

Chinese Brands Gain Ground

Costa Rica, where the average price of gasoline is $1.61 a liter or $6.09 a gallon versus a global average of $1.46 a liter or $5.53 a gallon, per Globalpetrolprices, is one such nation leading the charge. According to The New York Times, Costa Ricans buy more EVs per person than nearly any other Western Hemisphere country. Chinese brands such as Geely and BYD have rapidly taken over the market, and EVs accounted for 18% of all vehicle sales in the country in the first three months of 2026.

Kattia Cambronero, a member of the Costa Rican Legislative Assembly, said that “…it gives Costa Rica energy sovereignty.” What this means is that Costa Rica doesn’t have to rely too heavily on crude oil imports, reducing its dependency on a commodity whose price is seesawing rapidly these days. Last month, Cambronero pushed through legislation to fast-track construction of EV charging stations in the country, further bolstering their switch towards electric mobility.

Costa Rica As A Case Study

Costa Rica is an ideal case study into what happens when there are no restrictions on importing Chinese EVs. Buyers in the United States are denied access to these inexpensive but technologically advanced and well-built vehicles due to bipartisan opposition. It’s the same in other countries that don’t have the same tariffs, where you’ll find vehicles from BYD, MG, Geely, and many others, as well as sub-brands sold by these major Chinese automakers.

According to a member poll by Asomove, a Costa Rican electric vehicle association, 70% of respondents cited cost as the primary reason for their EV switch. They moved to electric mobility simply because it was cheaper to run an EV, resulting in cost savings. This is important, because while Costa Rica is rich by Central American standards, its per-capita income is around a quarter of that in the United States. That’s why you can find at least three Chinese EV models selling for less than the equivalent of $20,000 in the country.

Plus, Costa Ricans have short commutes, which is where EVs really shine. Short commutes in town traffic can really affect MPG figures in a gas or diesel car, but EVs tend to thrive in this environment thanks to factors such as regenerative braking. This allows some energy to be recuperated back into the battery pack under deceleration and braking and is present in most hybrids as well. But the government also helps with the transition, offering certain tax and fee exemptions since 2018 to woo more buyers onto the EV bandwagon.

However, it hasn’t been all plain sailing. The South American country’s EV infrastructure hasn’t kept pace with its adoption rate. At the Croc Skywalk tourist stop south of San José, two of the most powerful chargers sat unused, because the plugs didn’t fit the Chinese cars, which make up the bulk of the country’s EV fleet. There are also worries about the wider power grid, and whether it can support the added load that more and more EVs will bring.

But the consumers of Costa Rica aren’t alone. And billions of people in these markets are reaching the same conclusion: that an EV, particularly a cheap Chinese one, makes more financial sense than filling a tank every week at prices that show no sign of coming down.

Jeep is preparing a mid-cycle update for its smallest SUV in Europe, arriving barely three years after launch. The facelifted Avenger has surfaced in a low-lit teaser, offering a first look at the latest interpretation of the brand’s seven-slot grille.

Jeep calls the revised grille a breakthrough, although it reads as a close relative of what is already on the newer Compass. The slots keep the Avenger’s chamfered profile, now with slimmer separations and no visible bezels, which cleans up the look without straying far from the original idea.

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The main talking point is the addition of seven LEDs, echoing the Compass. These extend the Avenger’s slim daytime running lights, positioned above the primary headlamp units. For those wondering, the first Jeep to feature an illuminated grille was the Grand Wagoneer Concept from 2022.

Beyond the revised seven-slot treatment, the Avenger is likely to receive updated front and rear bumpers, along with fresh color choices and new alloy wheel designs. The roof rails shown in the teaser point to the Avenger 4xe The North Face special edition, although they could just as easily filter through to other trims in the facelifted range.

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Jeep has said little about cabin changes. Even so, heavily camouflaged dashboards on test prototypes suggest the digital cockpit may be due an update. There is also scope for improved material quality, with softer finishes potentially replacing some of the harder plastics used in the current model.

We don’t expect big changes under the skin, as the Avenger is already available with ICE, mild-hybrid, and fully electric powertrain options from the Stellantis parts bin. The current lineup is crowned by an all-wheel-drive variant (mild-hybrid 4xe) featuring dual electric motors and a turbo 1.2-liter gasoline engine.

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The Avenger is also set to expand beyond Europe, with a South American launch planned. Production will begin later this year at the Porto Real plant in Brazil.

It remains unclear whether the Brazilian-market model will adopt the same visual updates as the facelifted European version, which is built in Tychy, Poland. Either way, a region-specific powertrain is expected, tailored to local requirements rather than simply mirroring the European setup.