Fiat has handed over fresh photos of the Grizzly and Grizzly Fastback, both due in global markets before the year is out. These compact SUVs now sit at the top of the range, larger and more practical than the Grande Panda beneath them. Affordability stays part of the pitch, and buyers get a spread of powertrain choices to pick from.

The Italian company calls the Grizzly a versatile, spacious and approachable SUV, naturally suited to family use. Read between the lines and the target is obvious. This is aimed squarely at the Dacia Bigster, itself a stretched take on the popular Duster.

More: Stellantis Puts Cheap Cars Under $30,000 Back On America’s Menu

The styling leans boxy, with sculpted surfaces and modern detailing throughout. The sharp LED headlights run down into the bumper, the grille is illuminated, the wheel arches are squared off, and the greenhouse borrows a Citroen flavor. The alloys finish the look with a futuristic edge.

The Grizzly Fastback gets a sloped roofline toward the rear and drops the roof rails of the standard version. The coupe-SUV tail brings full-width LED lights, a subtle ducktail spoiler, a recess across the bumper and tailgate, and plenty of plastic cladding.

More: Stellantis Swears Its Rebadges Won’t Be Lazy, But Only Four Brands Get 70% Of The Cash

Fiat designers seem to have found the right balance between visual separation and cost-cutting, since the two SUVs appear to share most of their body panels. On size, the company says the Grizzly duo comes in under 4.5 meters (177.2 inches) long.

While we have yet to see photos of the interior, Fiat says that the Grizzly and the Grizzly Fastback will “elevate the in-car experience through refined interiors, attention to detail, and technologies designed to simplify everyday life”. They also promise “exceptional interior space” and segment-leading cargo capacity with the latter being a strong selling point.

The new models ride on Stellantis’ Smart Car architecture, the same platform already underpinning the Fiat Grande Panda, Citroen C3, C3 Aircross, and Opel Frontera. Fiat has confirmed the Grizzly family will arrive with a full powertrain offer, from petrol to BEV. That points to the 1.2-liter engine in regular and mild-hybrid forms, plus the fully electric setup borrowed from its Stellantis stablemates.

More: Fiat’s Pandina Replacement Has Three Seats And The Driver Sits In The Middle

The Grizzly and Grizzly Fastback will be sold across several regions, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Depending on the market, they could act as an indirect replacement for the discontinued Fiat Tipo and the smaller Pulse and Fastback. The rollout starts in the second half of 2026, beginning with Europe and the Middle East and Africa.

Fiat CEO Olivier Francois said: “[The] Grande Panda marked the return of Fiat to affordable family movers. With Grizzly and Grizzly Fastback, we’re completing this lineup with two vehicles designed around different needs, different lifestyles, but sharing the same idea: smart, accessible and rooted in Fiat’s design DNA. Together, they bring Fiat back at the heart of the family mobility market with a complete and coherent line-up”.

Stellantis

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.

More: Stellantis Puts Cheap Cars Under $30,000 Back On America’s Menu

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.

Review: New Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid Makes Budget Look Cool Again

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.

More: Fiat’s Compact Pickup Just Got A Glow-Up With Maserati Swagger

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.

Stellantis just pulled the covers off a gigantic new global strategy, and buried beneath all the boring corporate jargon is something buyers will really care about. Affordable cars are back.

The company says it plans several new sensibly-priced vehicles for North America, including two models priced below $30,000, and seven coming in under $40,000, all before the decade ends.

Also: Stellantis Quietly Showed Dealers A New Chrysler Starting In The $20,000s

North America will receive 11 all-new vehicles by 2030 as part of a wider global product offensive involving more than 60 launches and 50 major refreshes. And rather than trying to push EVs to audiences that don’t necessarily want an electric car, Stellantis is still betting on a broad mix of powertrains. The company confirmed future plans include 29 EVs, 15 plug-in hybrids or range-extenders, 24 hybrids, and nearly 40 combustion or mild-hybrid vehicles.

The backbone of this new strategy is a fresh modular architecture called STLA One that will underpin more than 30 models globally. Launching in 2027, it’s designed to replace multiple existing platforms with one scalable setup, supporting everything from compact hatchbacks to midsize SUVs.

Stellantis says it’s engineered specifically for different propulsion systems and can feature steer-by-wire tech, STLA AutoDrive autonomy, and STLA Brain software architecture. It will also deliver something called STLA SmartCockpit to allow drivers more interaction with their cars, and EVs get cell-to-body battery integration to reduce cost and weight.

Related: Stellantis And JLR Want To Co-Develop And Build Cars In America

The automaker is also reshuffling its brand priorities. Jeep, Ram, Peugeot, and Fiat have now become the company’s four primary global brands and receive the lion’s share of future investment. Around 70 percent of development spending will go toward those names and the Pro One commercial vehicle business.

Other Brands Play Second Fiddle

Other brands still survive, though they’ll get what they’re given when it comes to hardware, rather than get a say in what that hardware is. Alfa Romeo, Dodge, Chrysler, Citroen, and Opel are positioned as strong regional players using shared technology and platforms. Maserati also gets a time extension with two new flagship E-segment models promised, while Lancia and DS continue operating as niche specialty brands. 

Europe’s side of the plan includes a fresh wave of compact crossovers, hybrids, and city EVs designed to better compete against Chinese rivals rapidly expanding across the continent. Those cars could include the return of the iconic back-to-basics Citroen 2CV. Stellantis is also teaming up with its long-time partner in China, Dongfeng, to build and sell Voyah-brand cars in Europe.

And earlier this week it announced it was partnering with Jaguar Land Rover to develop cars for North America, a deal that could help JLR sidestep punishing import tariffs on the European-built cars it sells in the US.

Stellantis

Automakers have been introducing 2027 models for months, but the 2026 Fiat 500e has been curiously absent. Given this, we reached out to the brand last week to see if the hatchback was going on hiatus like the Jeep Wagoneer S.

Fiat told us the 2026 model would be announced soon and they’ve finally followed through by introducing a vehicle that virtually no one wants. Given the low demand of less than one per day, the updates are unsurprisingly minor.

More: Fiat Dealers Slapping $15,000 Discounts On Slow-Selling 500e

When the 2026 500e arrives this summer, customers will find empty showrooms and a new Miami Sunset exterior. That isn’t the only change as the new Pop trim features a body-color dashboard, instead of the pearl one found on the Icona.

The only other major change appears to be access to Tesla’s Supercharger network. However, this requires using a NACS adaptor that costs $230.

Other than that, it’s your typical overpriced and underwhelming 500e. That being said, the lineup has been adjusted for 2026 as the 500e Giorgio Armani Edition is dead.

On top of that, the entry-level Pop begins at $35,700 which is a huge jump from the previous starting price of $30,500 for the INSPI(RED). That trim is apparently dead, although Fiat did mention a (RED) Edition, which appears to be a package.

The Icona trim returns for 2026, but it now starts at $37,700. That’s $5,200 more than the 2025 model and it’s a hilarious ask considering dealers are struggling to get rid of existing vehicles even with discounts of $15,000.

While no one in their right mind would buy a 500e, we’ll remind you the car has a 42 kWh battery pack that feeds an electric motor developing 117 hp (87 kW / 119 PS) and 162 lb-ft (219 Nm) of torque. It enables the model to accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 8.5 seconds and have a range of approximately 149 miles (240 km).

Needless to say, there are far better options including the $27,600 Chevrolet Bolt with 262 miles (422 km) of range. Shoppers should also check out the $29,990 Nissan Leaf, which can travel 303 miles (488 km) between charges

2026 Fiat 500e Pricing

Prices exclude an undisclosed destination fee

Fiat’s return to America was anything but triumphant, but things have only gotten worse since then. While the brand once offered an assortment of models including an underrated 124 Spider, they’re down to a single EV.

This was always going to be an uphill battle, but the situation has gotten significantly worse since the elimination of the federal tax credit. A quick look at the sales chart reveals a brutal first quarter where the 500e found a mere 68 buyers.

More: Fiat Sold Nearly 20 Times More 500e EVs in Canada Than In The US

That’s less than one per day and 23 per month. Things were so bad that the electric hatchback was outsold by the 500X, which was killed off in 2023.

A quick search online suggests dealers have over 100 units in stock and that’s roughly five months worth of supply. Given this, it’s not surprising there are huge discounts on 2024 and 2025 models.

The cheapest car appears to be a 2024 500e INSPI(RED) at Southern Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Fiat of Norfolk, Virginia. The model originally stickered for $34,095, but the dealer has it listed for $19,134. That’s a discount of $14,961 and pictures reveal the dealer had previously tried to sell it for $25,071 but didn’t get any takers.

If you’re in the mood for something newer, Illinois’ Hawk Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat has a 2025 500e Armani Edition listed for $21,988. That’s $15,507 below the original sticker price of $37,495.

Those are far from the only examples as Taverna Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat in Florida has an Armani Edition with a $12,254 discount. It’s also worth noting Stellantis appears to be offering a $7,500 national incentive to help make up for the aforementioned tax credit.