While my colleagues drool over the possible arrival of the Alfa Romeo Brera Coupe and 8C Competizione, and debate the relative merits of the MiTo vs 500, I’m hoping Nardelli and Co. have enough good sense to airlift some of those charming Fiat Pandas. What, you've never head of the Panda?

Of course you haven't.  It's primarily sold in Europe and is one of the smallest, cheapest cars in Fiat's lineup – second only to the 600. But this is no anonymous Euro econobox (well, ok, it is), the Panda oozes style and personality as only pandas can.

This past summer during our marathon Challenger Euro road trip, I bored everyone to tears (sorry Terren) espousing my love for all current Panda variants (except the Mamy). There is a particularly warm spot in my heart for  the boxy first generation Panda.

Born in 1980, the first Pandas were powered by either air cooled 652cc two stroke (!) or water cooled 769cc 4-stroke engines. Not surprisingly, they were agonizingly underpowered.

Good thing they had loads of awkward style. Critics characterize the Panda'a shape as a fascisti homage to Eastern Bloc runabouts, but I find them appealing, in a pre-airbag, Walkman-esque kind of way. That blocky, Giugiaro-penned profile, flat windshield, and lower plastic body cladding some how manages to make the Panda look cheaper, yet more charming, than the first gen Ford Fiestas they ape.

Part of their charm came from the Panda's unheralded grit and determination. They're tough little buggers; early 80s versions can still be found all over Europe – like the automotive equivalent of the cockroach.

Part of their ubiquity came from the durability and flexibility of the platform. Along with the three door, Fiat made cabriolet and van versions. Soon after launch, Pandas were also equipped with a Steyr-Puch 4-wheel drive system – making it the first mass produced transverse-engined small car to come with a full four wheel drive system – and perhaps the first compact SUV. So capable and indestructible were these beasties, they were adopted into service various city and government agencies -- as police cars, forestry vehicles, even official army transportation.

Nowadays Pandas follow the same basic formula -- though due to modern breeding programs, you can find a dazzling number of variants. There's the regular Panda, off road Panda 4x4, sporty Panda Cross, racy Panda 100HP, green-loving Panda Natural Power (which sounds like a group of militant tree hugging vegans), and Panda Mamy, which targets, of all things, new mothers. With a street cred built upon that cockroach-tough first generation, Pandas have developed a strong following primarily among outdoorsy types disinterested in large, overwrought SUVs. Think mini Subaru WRX fanboys.
My favorite, the Panda Cross.

So, will it happen? Will someone at Fiat/Chrysler/Cerberus read this blog and send a flotilla of gas sipping, rock climbing Panda Crosses across the Atlantic? I can only dream, but it's highly unlikely to say the least. Dodge already has its own small car plans (like the fantastic looking Hornet) and commitments to build entry level cars in the Panda's price range with Nissan.  Furthermore, within Fiat's own lineup, the Panda isn't the most qualified candidate for overseas duty. A stronger case could no doubt be made for the more premium Alfa Romeo Mito or Fiat 500 -- both of which probably stand a better chance in the fiercely competitive segment occupied by everything from the Honda Fit to Mini Cooper. Certainly no place for shy eucalyptus eaters, tough as they may be.

As much as I'd like to strap my snowboard atop one, I'm not holding my breath for either off-road Panda. The Panda Cross and 4x4's closest American competition would be the Suzuki SX4 – which hasn't exactly set the world on fire. No real market to plunder means little to no chance of a Panda invasion.

Still, it's nice to dream about Pandas.