FLEET & BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
Stellantis brands with great histories look forward to exciting and successful futures
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Fiat, Abarth and Jeep still get the pulse racing
For Fiat, the core values centre on joy, simplicity and fun, which Brand Director Kris Cholmondeley neatly summarises as “all about La Dolce Vita”.
This philosophy translates into tangible decisions, from focusing on bright, colourful cars to simplifying the buying journey through clear, consistent pricing structures.
A defining pillar of Fiat’s identity is accessibility. As Cholmondeley puts it, the brand is about “Italian design, made accessible”, combining distinctive styling with attainable price points. The aim is to create cars that not only look good, but actively improve the everyday driving experience, offering personality and a sense of enjoyment in otherwise routine journeys.
Abarth, by contrast, is built around performance and excitement, particularly in the context of electrification. Cholmondeley says: “Anyone that doesn’t think electric can be fun, come and drive the Abarth.”
The brand seeks to carry its motorsport heritage into a new era, retaining its racing DNA while adapting to modern motoring needs. Importantly, Abarth balances performance with usability. While models such as the Abarth 600e deliver standout speed and acceleration, they are also packaged in a way that can be good for everyday driving.
Since taking over both marques, Cholmondeley has realigned prices to ensure Fiat and Abarth cars offer great value. The next stage in his plan is to build awareness and trust, with an aim to improve true fleet performance.
Cholmondeley says: “I want to be known by B2B customers, as one of the easiest most authentic people and brands to do business with. That’s first and foremost, because I think people still buy from people, so I want to be one of the most accessible managing directors to our B2B customers.
“And if fleet customers have any experiences or preconceptions that are not positive, meet with me and I’ll either prove that we’ve addressed them, or I’ll give you a roadmap to address them.”
Fiat and Abarth are two distinct, but complementary, brands, each rooted in strong emotional appeal, but expressed in very different ways.
FIAT GRANDE PANDA: AN ICON RETURNS
The Fiat Panda has made a grande return this year as a rugged five-door compact SUV. It features retro-styling, modern technology and is available with both electric and hybrid powertrains. Fiat says the Grande Panda is the “literal clone” of the first Panda, making it a new B segment vehicle that is both affordable and family friendly.
The car’s boxy design, simple lines, and playful styling give it a distinctive personality. One of its most eye-catching features is the pixel-style LED headlights, which subtly reference the windows of Fiat’s historic Lingotto factory in Turin.
Inside, the Grande Panda continues its quirky approach. The cabin features bold colours, textured materials, and even sustainable elements such as bamboo fibre trim, reflecting Fiat’s push toward more ecofriendly design.
The Grande Panda represents great value, with a starting price of £18,995. It has a compact footprint, with a length of 3.99m and a width of 1.76m. There is ample room inside for five passengers, due to clever packaging and a 361-litre boot.
With a 44kWh battery, the electric Grande Panda offers up to 199 miles of range. It also features a unique integrated charging cable.
THE JEEP COMMUNITY Jeep is a brand defined by emotion, community and lived experience, built around four core pillars: passion, freedom, adventure and authenticity.
Customers share a deep connection to the brand, creating a uniquely engaged community. This is reinforced through initiatives such as Camp Jeep and large-scale owner events, designed to immerse customers in the brand’s world rather than simply showcase its products.
Kris Cholmondeley, Jeep Brand Director, says: “What we know with Jeep is the brand has got universal appeal, but if you go back three years, we weren’t on B2B customer shopping lists.
“Since we launched Avenger – and we had great success with that car – our B2B customers and their confidence in Jeep has just gone exponentially upwards.”
A key part of Jeep’s strategy is to “show, not tell”. Rather than relying on traditional sales approaches, the brand focuses on experiential engagement – inviting fleet and retail customers to drive vehicles off-road, take part in activities and experience the Jeep lifestyle first-hand. This extends to B2B customers, who are treated the same as retail buyers, reinforcing authenticity and strengthening relationships.
That authenticity is also expressed through community-driven behaviours such as “Jeep ducking,” which Cholmondeley highlights as an example of how the brand creates warmth, fun and human connection between owners. Owners are given a rubber duck, which they’re encouraged to gift to another Jeep owner. It’s a small, but distinctive, touch that helps differentiate Jeep from more conventional car brands.
The pillars of freedom and adventure are central to Jeep’s identity. The brand actively encourages customers to “explore beyond everyday driving”, supported by partnerships such as with Ordnance Survey to promote “roads less travelled” and outdoor experiences. This positions Jeep not just as a vehicle, but as a lifestyle.
Cholmondeley summarises Jeep’s direction as being “more Jeep” – leaning into its heritage and strengths rather than diluting them. Combined with growing product appeal and broader powertrain choice, his goal is to translate the brand’s strong global reputation into increased consideration and growth, particularly in the fleet market.
Electric Grande Panda offers up to 199 miles of range
“Since we launched Avenger, our B2B customers’ confidence in Jeep has gone exponentially upwards”
Kris Cholmondeley, Fiat, Abarth, Fiat Pro & Jeep Brand Director
Pro-One
Peugeot
Abarth 600e: standout acceleration and great for everyday driving
JEEP COMPASS – RUGGED, ELECTRIFIED
The new Jeep Compass marks a major step forward for the brand, combining its rugged heritage with modern technology and electrification. Now in its third generation, the Compass has been completely redesigned on Stellantis’ new STLA Medium platform, making it more spacious, more efficient and more advanced than before.
One of the biggest changes is the introduction of a fully electric version for the first time, alongside hybrid options. Buyers can choose from mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or full-electric powertrains, with the EV offering a range of more than 400 miles (long range version), reflecting Jeep’s commitment to electrification.
Despite this shift, the Compass stays true to Jeep’s identity. Signature design features such as the seven-slot grille, chunky wheel arches and rugged cladding remain, while off-road capability is still a key focus. It offers up to 200mm of ground clearance and can handle water crossings of nearly half a metre, making it more capable than many rivals in the family SUV class.
Inside, the Compass has become far more high-tech, with a large digital display set-up, over-the-air updates, and advanced driver assistance. It’s also more practical, offering increased passenger space and up to 550 litres of boot capacity.
Jeep Compass combines ruggedness with a full electric powertrain