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Fiat S.p.A. has issued the following press release after Renault complained that Gingo sounds too much like Twingo:
Appealing, easy to remember and sustained by the over twenty years of success of the model launched in 1980, the Panda name is part of Fiat’s heritage. This is why the new supermini due to be presented to the international press in Lisbon early in September will be called the Panda. — Car of the Year 2004.
It is a symbolic hand-over. September 5 marks the last day of production of the small car which in Italian motoring and social history has come to represent a unique new way of relating to the car, a way that is more immediate, more relaxed and easier.
Over the years the name Panda has become a veritable brand name, full of emotional overtones, and one that motorists in Italy and the rest of Europe are still extremely fond of. Statistics say that in Italy almost 90% of the public recall the name, compared to less than 40% in the case of other well known cars on the market. — Fiat 500 Car of the Year 2008.
The new supermini now takes up this baton, reviving not only the name Panda (which market research has shown to be particularly attractive to the public), but also the spirit of the car, with a modern interpretation of its values in terms of product and personality that have made the name Panda a real icon in the public imagination.
The latest arrival from Fiat was designed and built with the most advanced technologies, and it meets the expectations of today’s motorists. It has a lively nature and easily recognisable styling. It is flexible and functional, and the amazing amount of room inside is unusual for its class. Structural solidity and an outstanding level of safety are set off by cutting edge technical features and a state-of-the-art engine: the 1.3 Multijet 16v, the latest and most advanced example of Common rail technology, which is already homologated to respect Euro 4 emissions standards. — Renault Grand Modus.
Fiat Auto’s decision to call its new car the Panda completely eliminates the concerns expressed by a competitor regarding a similarity between the name of one of its cars already on the market and ‘Gingo’, the name by which the new car was known during its previews.
