Photo: Fiat
Fiat is one of the automakers that's been hardest hit by the economic downturn in Europe. With sales plummeting, they've been forced to close factories and lay off thousands of people. Yet the brand holds tremendous value, which the Italian hope can be put to good use under a major 5-year restructuring plan through 2018.
The strategy is covered in two distinct fabrics: blue jeans and red leather. One is practical and purposeful, the little Panda being its flag bearer, the other "aspirational" and fun, like the posh 500 city car.
The first new car announced by the Italian automaker is the 500X crossover, basically a Fiat version of the Jeep Renegade. It's been spied for the first time earlier this week and will make its debut later in 2014, most likely at the Paris Motor Show in November. Despite the overlap with its Jeep brother, the 500X will also be sold in America, though to until early 2015, probably launched in Detroit. The Fiat brand will also receive new speciality models, which we think are 500 derivatives with funky colors and themes.
That's just the icing on the cake though, as the real cars Fiat has put off for so long have finally been announced. The first will be a compact sedan, a replacement for the Linea which will arrive in 2015. The car has actually been developed already, though it hasn't been tuned for the European drying style. We're talking about the Viaggio sedan that's already on sale in China, a nice-looking 4-door two turbocharged petrol engines, a 1.4-litre T-Jet with 120 hp and 150 hp.
The following year (at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show), a compact hatch will arrive in Europe, thus replacing the the Bravo. Again, it's a car that has already been developed, sold in China as the Ottimo. The same year, a new B-segment car will also be introduced. Fiat deliberately doesn't say if it's still called a Punto, but a "new Punto" is scheduled to arrive in India the following year. We'll let you decide if we're on to something with this one…
Finally, a new compact crossover utility vehicle is planned for 2017 and will be followed by the new Panda in 2018.
The biggest surprise here is that a new Fiat 500 is not on the menu. It's either a well-kept secret, becoming a subcompact or a new model is simply not coming.
The first new car announced by the Italian automaker is the 500X crossover, basically a Fiat version of the Jeep Renegade. It's been spied for the first time earlier this week and will make its debut later in 2014, most likely at the Paris Motor Show in November. Despite the overlap with its Jeep brother, the 500X will also be sold in America, though to until early 2015, probably launched in Detroit. The Fiat brand will also receive new speciality models, which we think are 500 derivatives with funky colors and themes.
That's just the icing on the cake though, as the real cars Fiat has put off for so long have finally been announced. The first will be a compact sedan, a replacement for the Linea which will arrive in 2015. The car has actually been developed already, though it hasn't been tuned for the European drying style. We're talking about the Viaggio sedan that's already on sale in China, a nice-looking 4-door two turbocharged petrol engines, a 1.4-litre T-Jet with 120 hp and 150 hp.
Finally, a new compact crossover utility vehicle is planned for 2017 and will be followed by the new Panda in 2018.
The biggest surprise here is that a new Fiat 500 is not on the menu. It's either a well-kept secret, becoming a subcompact or a new model is simply not coming.
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