FIAT PANDA 4X4 ANTARCTICA TAKES CENTRE STAGE IN THE TORINO-SOCHI PROJECT

• The exciting 'Panda to Sochi' tour, featuring the limited-edition FIAT Panda Antarctica, departs from Mirafiori Motor Village in Turin
• The collaboration, between FIAT and Vice Media publishing group, has the Casa Italia in Sochi, Russia, as its final destination
• The travel intinerary - updated in real time using the Nokia Lumia 1520 smartphone - can be found at www.FIATfreestyleteam.com
• and on the official FIAT, Freestyle Team and Nokia channels for Facebook and YouTube
• Driven by some of the athletes from the FIAT Freestyle Team and Vice editorial staffers, the Panda 4x4 Antarctica, finished in distinctive two-tone bodywork with orange detailing, is powered by FIAT’s award-winning 85hp 0.9 TwinAir Turbo petrol engine
• Prices for the FIAT Panda Antarctica start at £14,895 OTR in the UK with numbers limited to just 300 right-hand drive examples.

The 'Panda to Sochi' tour officially set off earlier this week from the Mirafiori Motor Village in Turin. Taking centre stage in this project is the Panda 4x4 Antarctica, the limited-edition model that celebrates the 30th anniversary of this top-selling, multi award-winning* 4x4 model, with more than 500,000 examples built since the original car was launched in 1984.

The ‘Panda to Sochi’ project stems from a collaboration between the FIAT brand and the multimedia publisher Vice Media, which targets young metropolitan people who not only love new fashion, sports and music trends, but are also interested in the world of art and culture.

This also makes the project an ideal platform for other prestigious brands involved in the cross-continental adventure: - Nokia, Nitro Snowboards and Beats by Dr. Dre.

On hand at the 'Panda to Sochi' launch ceremony were some of the stars of the FIAT Freestyle Team, Stefano Munari (snowboarding) and Stefan Lantschner (BMX), as well as Markus Keller, the famous Nitro team rider who will alternate places with freestyle skier Dmitri Sartor during the trip. They were joined by Gersin Livia Paya, editor of Vice, who completes the team that will travel to the Casa Italia in Sochi (Russia).

Using the Nokia 1520, with its 6-inch super-sensitive full-HD display, Gersin will tell the story of the journey in real time, with images and videos taken using the 20 MP Pureview camera and shared through social media, while the HERE maps will guide the team to their destination.

The team will visit 16 different European locations en route – including some unexpected stops – to Sochi with the aim of capturing the most peculiar aspects of the local cultures. A team of outstanding photographers and videographers will also immortalise the crew's tricks and manoeuvres in a few characteristic locations like Dracula's castle in Transylvania and the Potëmkin Stairs in the Ukraine, or at other spectacular geographical sites like Mont Blanc and Lake Geneva. The group will also have the chance to meet and interview athletes and trendsetters of the towns they go through.

The centrepiece of the adventure between Turin and Sochi is the FIAT Panda 4x4 Antarctica. Designed to stand out from the crowd, the Antarctica is only available in white with a black roof, orange detailing, diamond-finish 15-inch alloy wheels and special badges.

Inside, the FIAT Panda 4X4 Antarctica features grey and orange upholstery with numerous additional standard features such as dark-tinted rear privacy glass, a height adjustable driver’s seat and three-passenger rear seat with 60:40 split/folding backrests.

As with all examples of the FIAT Panda 4X4 sold in the UK, the Antarctica edition also features air conditioning, ESC stability control, an electronic locking differential (ELD), specially tuned suspension, mud-and-snow tyres and rugged bodywork protection all as standard.

Powered either by FIAT’s award-winning 85hp 0.9 TwinAir petrol engine or a 75hp 1.3-litre MultiJet II turbo diesel engine, the FIAT Panda 4X4 Antarctica offers a unique combination of exceptionally low running costs and genuine off-road capability which is unmatched by any competitor vehicle.

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Note to Editors:

The entire trip can be followed on www.FIATfreestyleteam.com and on the official FIAT, Freestyle Team and Nokia channels for Facebook and YouTube, as well as on www.vice.com/pandatosochi.

The ‘Panda to Sochi’ project is in line with FIAT's commitment to the world of 'action sports' as the FIAT Freestyle Team, above all, demonstrates. More information is available on the official website www.FIATfreestyleteam.com and on the fan page Facebook/FIATFreestyleTeam.

*The Panda 4x4 was recently named ‘2014 Mini 4X4’ by the UK’s best-selling off-road enthusiast publication, 4X4 Magazine, and was Top Gear magazine’s SUV of the Year in 2012.

For more information on the FIAT Panda 4X4 and the FIAT Panda 4X4 Antarctica visit www.fiat.co.uk

FIAT Group Automobiles UK Press Office Contacts:

Conor Twomey
PR Manager
UK: FIAT, Alfa Romeo, FIAT Professional
IRL: FIAT, Alfa Romeo, FIAT Professional, Chrysler & Jeep
+44 (0)1753 519403
conor.twomey@FIAT.com

Puneet Joshi
PR Officer all brands UK & Ireland
+44 (0)1753 519591
puneet.joshi@FIAT.com