Fiat names its 2027 electric city car Koala, built in Italy on Stellantis E-Car platform

Fiat's next small electric car will be called the Koala and is due to arrive in 2027, the brand's CEO Arnauld Belloni said in an interview with Autocar at the Paris Motor Show. The car was expected to debut at the show but did not appear, with Fiat instead displaying the Multiplay concept alongside the Grizzly and Grizzly Fastback.

The Koala will sit on Stellantis' E-Car platform, the group's dedicated underpinnings for a coming wave of small electric cars, and will be built in Italy at the Pomigliano d'Arco plant alongside the new Citroën 2CV.

Why the Koala skipped Paris

Fiat design chief François Leboine explained the absence by saying "it wasn't the right time to show what we were working on". Autocar's reading is that Fiat may have wanted to avoid pulling attention away from the debut of the new Citroën 2CV, which shares the Koala's production home.

Belloni framed the car as part of a broader push: "We are working on some cars based on the E-Car platform. We are preparing a small car that will be based on the 2CV, and it will be truly surprising". The shared 2CV base is the clearest signal yet of how tightly Stellantis intends to bundle its small EVs across brands.

A European answer to kei cars

The E-Car platform is aimed at a new vehicle category the European Union is developing to encourage production and sales of electric cars under 4.2 metres (165.4 inches) long. The idea borrows from Japan's kei cars, though the European models will be considerably larger.

That regulatory framing matters more than the name. A category built around sub-4.2-metre EVs gives Stellantis a reason to spread one platform across Fiat, Citroën and potentially Opel, and the Koala is the Fiat entry in that plan. An Opel-badged version could also join the Koala and 2CV on the Pomigliano d'Arco line.

Design and the growing small-car family

The Koala's styling could draw on a concept shown during Stellantis' industrial plan presentation, which had a boxy shape, angular lines and headlights integrated into the front fascia.

It joins a Fiat small-car range that already includes the Pandina, Grande Panda and Grizzly. For buyers, the practical effect is a Fiat line-up increasingly concentrated in the city-car end of the market, with the Koala as the electric option beneath the larger models.

What Fiat has not announced

Fiat has not released a price, battery size, power output, charging speed or range figure for the Koala, and no test cycle has been quoted for it. Nothing has been said about Australian availability or pricing either, so the car should be treated as a European launch for now.

The one firm date is 2027, with production at Pomigliano d'Arco. Everything else, from final styling to the number of Opel-badged siblings, remains open until Fiat publishes specifications.

MINI finished third in the X-Cross class at the 2026 Rebelle Rally, its first appearance at the all-women's off-road navigation event, with driver Felicia Killman and navigator Erika Ferrer competing in the new MINI Countryman Untamed Edition.

The pair also took Rookies of the Year honours in the class and the Challenge Accepted Award, presented by Stryten Energy and voted on by fellow competitors and event staff.

Eight days, 1,500 miles and no GPS

The rally ran over eight days and more than 1,500 miles of terrain across Nevada, California and Utah, with crews finding checkpoints using maps, a compass and a roadbook rather than GPS navigation.

Conditions in 2026 included temperatures approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit, storms, rain, river crossings, steep climbs and sand dunes, and in the final stages wind gusts of up to 50 mph blew sand across the course, creating whiteout conditions and sharply cutting visibility.

MINI says the event served as a demanding real-world proving ground for the Untamed Edition, which had been revealed to the world only days before the competition began.

What the Untamed Edition adds

MINI describes the Untamed Edition as bringing a more rugged, adventure-oriented character to the Countryman, combining distinctive styling with enhanced all-terrain versatility.

US models get MINI ALL4 all-wheel drive, a suspension lift, specially developed all-terrain tyres and exclusive 19-inch Untamed Edition wheels.

The company says those features support confident exploration beyond paved roads while preserving the model's driving character.

MINI has not announced a price for the Untamed Edition, the markets beyond the US specification described, or the engine and powertrain it uses; the rally release covers only the chassis and wheel hardware.

That gap matters for buyers weighing the Untamed Edition against a standard Countryman: the lifted suspension and all-terrain rubber are the substance of the package, and without power or drivetrain figures there is no way yet to judge how much of the Countryman's on-road behaviour has been traded for off-road ability.

Why a navigation rally suits an adventure trim

Unlike conventional motorsport, the Rebelle Rally does not reward outright speed; teams accumulate points by locating checkpoints through precise navigation, strategic decisions and teamwork.

For MINI, the value of the result is less about a podium and more about subjecting a showroom-bound special edition to desert trails, rocky climbs, sand washes and river crossings in public view.

The Challenge Accepted Award, decided by rivals and event staff rather than by the timing sheets, reflects how the crew conducted itself over the eight days.

MINI's first campaign produced a podium, a rookie title and a sportsmanship-style honour in one outing, a return that gives the brand a credible adventure narrative for the Untamed Edition without a factory racing programme behind it.