Photo: SB-Medien
Having just announced a major 5-year plan, Fiat is surging forward with development of what could be their most important car since the 500. It's called the 500X and combines the posh appearance of the little city car with the practicality of crossover.
Less than a week ago, we showed you the first images of the new Fiat 500X prototype with open doors on Fiat-s test track in Italy. Now, engineers have taken to the roads near their facilities.
Although heavily camouflaged with protective black bumpers, the 500X is by no means a mystery to us. Quite some time ago, a fully revealed mockup of the car was spied at one of the automaker's factories. Since then, rumors about the project being canceled have circulated, but are obviously being dismissed by its presence on the road.
The debut of this new crossover has already been publicly announced by Fiat and is likely to take place at the Paris Motor Show, base on both Fiat's own information and their preference for debuts at major events.
The 500X is also coming to the US, though a later debut in 2015 is scheduled. Again, we can only speculate, but we think it will be shown at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Like the 500L, it should be imported from Europe and will remain a relatively low volume car in America.
The 5-year plan Fiat has set out to achieve only targets 100,000 sales per year in North America and the 500X's rise to fame will certainly not be help by Jeep's Renegade, built on the same architecture, but tailored to local consumer tastes.
This is a global product, but engines choices will of course vary depending on the market. In Italy, which is Fiat's biggest market, most people will go for LPG versions and small displacement engines. Other European buyers might also be tempted by a 1.6-liter diesel like
the one in the Suzuki SX4 S-Cross or a 1.4-liter turbo in multiple stages of tune. Americans will also get that small mill and a 1.8-liter 4-banger.
As you can see from the adjacent image, styling is nothing like that of the Jeep Renegade, which is no bad thing. It's a combination of the 500 city car and the 500L MPV. Rugged black fender flares protect the bodywork and give off a beefy aura. Like the MINI Countryman, the 500X features a very diluted version of the core brand's design. Only the rounded headlights and taillights let you know this is vaguely related to the original Cinquecento.
Although heavily camouflaged with protective black bumpers, the 500X is by no means a mystery to us. Quite some time ago, a fully revealed mockup of the car was spied at one of the automaker's factories. Since then, rumors about the project being canceled have circulated, but are obviously being dismissed by its presence on the road.
The debut of this new crossover has already been publicly announced by Fiat and is likely to take place at the Paris Motor Show, base on both Fiat's own information and their preference for debuts at major events.
The 500X is also coming to the US, though a later debut in 2015 is scheduled. Again, we can only speculate, but we think it will be shown at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Like the 500L, it should be imported from Europe and will remain a relatively low volume car in America.
The 5-year plan Fiat has set out to achieve only targets 100,000 sales per year in North America and the 500X's rise to fame will certainly not be help by Jeep's Renegade, built on the same architecture, but tailored to local consumer tastes.
This is a global product, but engines choices will of course vary depending on the market. In Italy, which is Fiat's biggest market, most people will go for LPG versions and small displacement engines. Other European buyers might also be tempted by a 1.6-liter diesel like
As you can see from the adjacent image, styling is nothing like that of the Jeep Renegade, which is no bad thing. It's a combination of the 500 city car and the 500L MPV. Rugged black fender flares protect the bodywork and give off a beefy aura. Like the MINI Countryman, the 500X features a very diluted version of the core brand's design. Only the rounded headlights and taillights let you know this is vaguely related to the original Cinquecento.
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