Fiat is preparing a small electric car related to the future Citroën 2CV. The Koala name has been registered by Fiat and was publicly confirmed by Arnauld Belloni, the brand's new chief executive, in an interview with Autocar at the 2026 Paris Motor Show. Fiat did not show the car at the event and has not released official photographs, battery data, motor output, range, price or a firm launch date.
What Fiat has confirmed
Autocar reports that Belloni said Fiat is working on several cars based on Stellantis's E-Car platform. One of them is a small car based on the same technical foundation as the Citroën 2CV. Fiat design chief François Leboine told the publication that the first Fiat E-Car is as mature as the Citroën project, but the Italian brand decided that the Paris show was not the right moment to reveal it.
That makes the Koala a confirmed development project rather than a fully presented production model. Fiat has not shown the exterior, interior or engineering package. There is no official technical sheet covering battery capacity, charging speed, power, range, dimensions or kerb weight. Those details should not be borrowed from the Citroën concept simply because the two cars are expected to share a platform.
Its link to the Citroën 2CV
Citroën unveiled the 2CV Concept at the 2026 Paris Motor Show. The concept is 3.76 metres long and reinterprets the 1948 2CV as a compact electric car. Citroën says a production model inspired by the concept is intended to join its range by 2028, be built in Europe and target a starting price of around €15,000. Those figures describe Citroën's programme and are not confirmed specifications for the Fiat Koala.
Citroën's concept focuses on a small, straightforward electric vehicle. The company is targeting a weight of about one tonne and explains that lower mass could allow a smaller, less expensive battery. The brand has not yet published the production car's battery size, range or output. Fiat has revealed even less about its sister project, so it is too early to assume that both cars will share the same body, battery or market positioning.
Autocar says the E-Car platform is intended for a possible European class of small EVs measuring less than 4.2 metres. The idea is partly inspired by Japan's kei-car framework, although the proposed European category had not become final law when the article was published. Any claims about regulatory benefits, taxation, pricing or equipment therefore remain conditional.
Why Fiat kept it out of the Paris show
Fiat presented the Multiplay and Multiplina concepts in Paris, but not the electric city car. Autocar quoted Leboine saying the project was ready enough to be shown, but that Fiat did not think the timing was right. The publication suggested that the brand may have chosen not to draw attention away from the Citroën 2CV's debut at its home motor show.
Not showing the car does not mean that the programme has been cancelled. It does, however, leave several central questions unanswered. The final body style is unknown, as is its exact relationship with the Grande Panda and Pandina. Fiat has also not said whether Koala will remain the production name or whether it will be used as a project or trademark name before a final decision.
Belloni explained that Koala fits Fiat's bear-related naming logic around the Panda family. Panda, Grizzly and Koala can sit within a recognisable naming theme, but the company has not issued a full product announcement linking every bear name to a confirmed model, engine or production schedule.
Possible design direction
Autocar reported that Fiat could draw ideas from Ippo, the winner of a design competition for Italian university students. Ippo was a tall, boxy hatchback with cues from earlier Panda generations. Fiat later showed the concept in strategic presentations with the Multiplina and Grizzly studies, and some of the students involved joined Fiat's design team through apprenticeships.
That does not confirm Ippo as the Koala. Leboine said the students produced ideas that surprised the company and could influence future Fiats, but he did not identify which features would reach production. The evidence for the Koala name, the E-Car platform and the 2CV relationship is stronger than the evidence for a particular shape or styling detail.
Fiat is also reviewing the lower end of its range. The company wants small cars that can cover electric and combustion-powered use cases, while the Grande Panda and newer models occupy larger positions. Koala would provide an electric city-car answer within that strategy, but Fiat has not announced a petrol version, a powertrain range or a price structure.
Timing and remaining unknowns
Citroën is targeting the production 2CV for around 2028. Media reports point to a similar timeframe for the Fiat project, but Fiat has not published an exact reveal or sales date. The production site also needs a formal confirmation from the company. Reports have mentioned Stellantis's Pomigliano d'Arco plant as a possible location for related cars, but that should remain attributed reporting until Fiat or Stellantis confirms it.
For prospective buyers, the boundary between evidence and expectation matters. Confirmed points include Fiat's work on E-Car projects, the relationship with the Citroën 2CV platform, Belloni's and Leboine's comments, and the Koala name. The battery, range, motor, price, body, equipment, plant and final launch schedule remain unknown.
The official Citroën material gives useful context for the shared programme: a compact 3.76-metre concept, a target around one tonne, European production and an approximately €15,000 starting price. It should be treated as context rather than a Fiat specification. Fiat may use the same platform for a car with a different size, design, equipment mix or commercial position.
