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Visitors to the
Bologna Motor Show in Italy last week were able to admire
the
Panda Alessi, a concept car whose distinctive style springs
from a partnership between two world-class brands famed for
their contribution to the development of industrial design
in Italy.
Fiat and Alessi have created a highly personal formal
language that makes their product easily distinguishable
amongst the herd of mass-produced products. The partnership
follows in the great Italian tradition in this sector and
may well develop further in the future.
In this sense, the Panda Alessi is a concrete example of how
the look of an automotive product can be reworked by a
company from outside the sector, drawing on the perennial
values of Italian design: innovation, style and personality.
The Fiat concept car shows how the stylistic interaction
between two important sectors of industry can produce
surprising results of great impact, when the design work is
carried out with total respect for product identity.
This is why the exterior of the prototype retains the
original personality of the standard model, with a number of
new styling and colour details on the bumpers, the roof
rack, the door mouldings and the wheelarch trims. The wheel
trims and rear aerial have also been redesigned.
Meanwhile inside the restyling is more evident, focusing on
the facia, which has been given a different colour and
features some new elements which enhance its look. The
graphics of the instrumentation, the upholstery and the
colour of the seats have also been modified.
The centre tunnel, sun visors and gearshift have been
completely redesigned, while a brand new exclusive system
for levelling the floor of the boot has been developed, with
the name of cargo-system. Alessi, one of the most famous
Italian design brands, has skilfully highlighted the
versatility of the car without changing its identity.
The prototype represents a new interpretation of the Panda
which is perfectly in line with the Panda spirit and the
other concept cars developed from the same base.
Photos: Carlo Ombello
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