Fiat looks to Jeep for small Oz off-roader

Fiat Chrysler Group Australia has told motoring.com.au that any future four-wheel drive models sold under the Fiat moniker in Europe would likely wear a Jeep badge by the time they get to Oz.

The decision means Jeep would almost exclusively represent four-wheel drive models for the Fiat-Chrysler alliance in Australia; lending more credence to the notion that the upcoming B-segment ‘500X’ collaboration between Fiat and Jeep will wear American-flavoured sheetmetal Down Under.

As reported earlier, the 500X will be built on Fiat’s ‘Small Wide’ architecture and will differentiate itself from the Jeep product via distinctive frontal styling. Shared will be the chassis and drivetrain options, which may include the 0.9-litre TwinAir two-cylinder and 1.4-litre MutliAir four-cylinder petrol units and a 1.6-litre MultiAir II four-cylinder turbo-diesel.

Production of the Fiat / Jeep twins is slated to commence in 2014.

The Fiat 500X will be underpinned by the same architecture that forms the basis for the 500L. That model, already on-sale in Europe, is another that the brand’s Australian representatives say is “too far away to consider”.

A representative for the brand also told motoring.com.au that homologation issues and a weak business case would also prevent the Panda 4x4 from being sold locally.

“We’re always looking at each and every thing, but Jeep will be our four-wheel drive brand,” said Veronica Johns, president and CEO of Fiat Chrysler Group Australia. “Initially, everything focuses on what we’re good at, and the line-up that we have is the one that will continue next year and the year after.”

The announcement counters the brand’s own claim that it will seek to offer as “many mainstream Fiat models as possible”. FCG Australia said the Fiat brand as a whole had experienced a 208 per cent upturn in sales since it repositioned the pricing of its portfolio in August 2012.

“Fiat has to be a significant player in the marketplace,” said Johns. “We believe there are significant segment opportunities for us, and significant volume.”

“We’ve got the product right, the price right, the promotion right, the place right and the people right. So we should continue the success we’ve had this year next year.”

According to VFACTS, FCG Australia has sold 1383 Fiat 500 models, 83 Punto variants, 700 Freemonts and 26 Pandas so far this year. Combined, the figures represent a 502.2 per cent increase against its passenger vehicle line-up against the same period last year.

Fiat Professional, the light commercial van side of the brand’s local operation, has recorded the registration of 770 Ducato large vans and 152 Scudo small vans during the same period for a rise of 42.5 per cent.

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