[1] Developed in the late 1990s in Turin, Italy, the Mini platform was designed to be adaptable to the city cars sold by Fiat Group.

All components were totally new, and were made to be adaptable to more types of small vehicles (including hatchback, convertible and crossover SUV).

Cars built on the Mini platform can accommodate either front- or four-wheel drive, using only front-mounted transverse engines.

A concept version was used in the 1999 Fiat Ecobasic prototype, powered by a small 1.2 JTD Multijet engine, but the first production vehicle on the platform was the Mk2 Fiat Panda in 2003 – a five-door hatchback with a high roof which allowed for increased interior space compared to most of its competitors.

Fiat said "the Panda and Uno were born together in design and share the same concept, but have no mechanical parts in common".