The Fiat pavilion at the Delhi Auto Expo saw a lot of activity. They just sell around 1000 cars a month and have only two products, the Punto hatchback and the Linea sedan on sale currently in India. Inspite of these things Fiat seem to have quite a fan base in the country and it was pretty evident by the amount of buzz generated at the Auto Expo.
They showcased the following products:
Fiat 500 Abarth Esseesse:
Fiat also launched the first product of their much anticipated Abarth range, the little Fiat 500 Abarth. Though the price has not been disclosed we can expect the car to be priced at around 20lakhs. It will be powered by a 1.4L turbocharged petrol engine producing 160Bhp of power and 230Nm of torque. Initially fiat plan to import it as a CBU. Fiat plan to improve the brand image by launching the Abarth brand. Personally I feel that it is going to give the Mini Cooper some tough competition.
Fiat Avventura:
The all-new Fiat Avventura made its global debut here at the Delhi Auto expo. It is Contemporary Urban Vehicle (CUV) based on the Fiat Punto. It will most probably be powered by the familiar 1.3L Multijet diesel engine mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Though Fiat could surprise us by launching it with the much anticipated 1.6L Multijet diesel engine. The front end has been completely resigned right from the projector headlamps to the front air-dam, grille and bumpers. The ride height has been raised and there is a black plastic cladding running right from the front to the rear bumper including the wheel arches and running boards. The car sits on a very good looking set of 17inch rims. The Fiat Avventura also gets a spare wheel mounted on the tailgate like an ecosport which will not be included in calculating the overall length of the car, thus keeping it under 4 meters. The interior is very similar to the all-new Fiat linea’s but the designers have modified it a little bit by adding some orange inserts on the dash and orange stitching on the upholstery. There are also a few interesting gauges such as a compass, pitch and roll indicator just above the AC vents. Overall with that eye catching orange colour paint job and interesting design the Fiat Avventura looks stunning, can’t wait to see it on our roads!
2014 Fiat Linea:
Fiat revealed the all-new Linea at the Expo. It will be powered by the same 90bhp 1.3L Multijet diesel engine and 1.4L T-jet petrol engine. The new Linea looks quite similar to the outgoing model though a few things like front grill, front bumpers, alloy wheels and the placement of the number plate have been changed. The interiors though are a big change when compared to the outgoing model. The instrument cluster, dashboard design, AC vents and Music system console have been changed. The quality of materials and fit and finish has been worked on in order to bring it at par with competition. The new Linea is set to hit showrooms by March.
Pic sources: Fiat India , Overdrive
