In a surprise of sorts, the new Fiat Doblo, which is a seven seater MPV, has been spotted on the outskirts of Pune! The Doblo that has been spotted was wearing temporary plates and had not even a hint of camouflage. The Doblo was first launched in 2001 and has manged to sell more than a million units. Internationally, the Doblo is sold both as a panel van (called as the Doblo Cargo) and as five or seven seater passenger models, being marketed as “leisure activity vehicles.” (Trust these marketing guys to come up with anything!) It may be noted that so far, Fiat India has not talked about any plans of launching the Doblo in India. Rather, what’s headed our way is the Punto facelift, Punto Avventura and the Fiat 500 Abarth. The Fiat 500 Abarth is powered by a 1.4-liter, turbocharged, 4 pot petrol engine that is internationally available in two states of tune- 137 PS and 163 PS.
Coming back to the test mule here, its purpose of testing on Indian soil is not yet known. However, one thing we are quite sure of is that Fiat Doblo launch in India is not in the offing. In all probability, the Fiat Doblo test mule that you see here has been imported by Fiat India only to collect data by testing it on varied terrains that our country offers. It may be noted that Fiat has also been seen testing the Bravo in India. However, the Bravo never came to us and continues being used by high officials at Fiat Pune. We believe that the Doblo you see here has a similar fate.
What do you think? Should Fiat launch the Doblo in India? Do let us know by commenting below.
Image credits- MyFiatWorld
It looks so much more like a van,than an MPV
Quirky looks…nd n even more quirky name. ..dobolo…looks so whacky… well..will not be well accepted here in India where looks r top priority….
If the package is truly exciting nd efficient…. Fiat can consider giving the styling a tweak and make it a look a bit conventional! ..
of course they will have to cut the rear full glass to half glass and half metal …
indian terrain will not allow the full glass to survive …
though it could also be a USP …
they think probably they might not be able to competitively price it … but then if they price it 15,000/- below each Innova model, should work out well especially the space and ride is at par if not better …
and they also have a TJet petrol engine …
Of course why shouldnt they … Better late than never …
90bhp multijet engine is already here … localization should not be a problem …
what are they waiting for …