The popular Waze app has leant its name to a special-edition city car. Launching in markets across Europe,
the new Fiat Panda Waze puts the app on the dashboard display in conjunction
with Mopar’s Panda Uconnect system.
Just dock your Android or iOS smartphone into the
dash and you’re good to go, sourcing navigation data and real-time traffic info
straight from the Israeli-developed network.
The Panda Waze features styling derived from the
Panda Cross, including black trim for the bumpers, side moldings, mirror caps,
roof bars, and door handles. It also gets 15-inch wheels with a burnished
finish, as well as a titanium-grey interior and a 1.2-liter straight four,
kicking out all of 68 hp and 102 Nm of torque. At
14.2 seconds to 100 km/h, it’s hardly what we’d call “quick,” by any
stretch of the imagination. But finding the faster route thanks to Waze
integration could help make up for time otherwise lost.
It’s the first car to feature Waze branding, but
given FCA’s apparent deal, it may not be the last. Don’t be surprised, in
short, to see the Italian-American automaker launching other models co-branded
with Waze in the near future. Maybe some of them will even make their way to
America.
