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Fiat Punto Discontinued, No Successor In Sight

Following the Uno, Fiat came up with the Punto in 1993. A subcompact hatchback offered with three or five doors, the city car is no longer with us. Fiat pulled the plug on the Punto after many years of underwhelming sales, and because this segment is no longer of interest for the Italian automaker, there won’t be a replacement.
Fiat Punto 11 photos
Photo: Fiat
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The Punto was produced over three generations at manufacturing plants in Italy, Poland, Serbia, Brazil, and India, with production totaling 3.42, 2.96, and 2.67 million examples of the breed. There were even convertible models on offer, as well as badge-engineered versions such as the Zastava 10.

The third and final generation is 13 years old, making it one of the oldest and feature-less models in the segment. Sharing the platform with the Opel Corsa and Alfa Romeo Mito, the Punto is also twinned with the Linea. The compact-sized sedan is no longer with us, Fiat replacing it with the Tipo in 2015.

In addition to age and sales, the Punto had to go because Fiat needs production space at the Melfi assembly plant in Italy. Maserati will build a new sport utility vehicle in Melfi, which will take on the Porsche Macan in the compact premium crossover segment.

The newcomer shares the Giorgio platform with the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, and in regard to powertrain options, some sort of electrification is certain to happen. According to Maserati, the smaller brother of the Levante should help the company reach 80,000 sales per year. Last year, the automaker delivered 46,239 vehicles, with the Levante outselling the Ghibli and Quattroporte.

Turning our attention back to the Punto, it’s worth remembering that the Fiat was the first zero-star car tested by Euro NCAP. Commenting on the disappointing result, secretary general Michiel van Ratingen said: “This is perhaps the strongest example of a manufacturer continuing to sell a product that is well past its best-before date, at the expense of the unsuspecting car buyer.”

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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