Panda bears down on Oz

Actually, it's officially called the Panda Cross, although the combination of cute and tough is too good to resist.

Based on Italy's second-best selling small car (after the Fiat Punto), the Panda Cross is being considered by Ateco Automotive as the second Fiat model for Australian release some time after the Punto is launched here in June.

"With the rest of Fiat's model range we'll probably be looking at the next generation before they come to Australia," said Ateco spokesman Edward Rowe.

"But the Panda Cross is one we believe would fit right in, depending on what price we could deliver it for."

The car is basically a toughened version of the Panda 4x4, which among other things is beloved of the Italian farming community for its paddock-bashing capability.

The Cross adds to that a dress-up package of roof bars, plastic side strips and chunky bumpers to give the 4WD look presumably required by Roman cowboys.

But the tiny (3.6 metre long) Panda Cross also has some serious engineering to go with the cosmetic treatment.

Not only is it powered by a 1.3-litre Multijet diesel with 51kW of power, it has a full-time 4WD system with a viscous centre coupling, which has a differential locking mechanism to increase traction in slippery situations.

The Panda 4x4 is already produced in right-hand drive for the British and Japanese markets, although full compliance with Australian Design Rules would still need to be established.

It has won praise for its surprising off-road ability, plus for the performance and flexibility of its diesel engine.

The Panda Cross was launched by Fiat at the Geneva motor show alongside an even tougher version dressed in black paintwork. The Panda Cross Monster (yes, really) will be produced in a limited run of 620 units, bizarrely enough to commemorate the cylinder capacity of the Ducati motorbike of the same name.

Ateco is also keen to bring the bigger Fiat Sedici off-roader to Australia, but that depends on getting clearance from Suzuki Australia, which has first call on whether the Sedici can be sold alongside the Suzuki SX4 which has donated its mechanicals to the Fiat off-roader.