Fiat India has high hopes from the newly launched Punto Evo and the upcoming Avventura. Post its break up with Tata, Fiat India has been working on their dealership network expansion. According to a report, Fiat is currently developing a new compact SUV which will make its debut at the 2016 Delhi Auto Expo and also be launched in the same year in the Indian market.
Fiat Punto Evo image used for representation only
This all-new SUV (code: X3U) will ride on Fiat’s modular 326 platform and will be the main rival to the Ford EcoSport, which is currently the only credible sub-4 metre SUV on sale in India. Fiat is eager to enter the segment which has not much products as soon as possible and it is believed that the Italian car maker is giving final design touches to the product.
According to the report, the upcoming Fiat compact SUV is expected to feature aggressive styling, class-leading ride and handling. Powering the compact SUV will be a new 1.5 Fiat diesel mill that will make its debut with the SUV. This new oil burner will be nothing but a scaled down version of the 1.6 JTD motor which powers many Fiat and Alfa Romeo models. With the displacement under 1500cc, the compact SUV will also be eligible for a lower excise duty bracket similar to the Ford Ecosport. The report mentions the power output of the engine is likely to be well over 100 bhp. The SUV may also come mated to an Automated Manual Tranmission (AMT) option at a later stage.
Stay tuned to Motoroids for more dope on the upcoming Fiat Compact SUV.
via : ACI