Fiat reveals its Corolla fighter
Italian giant unveils Aegea small sedan in Istanbul; Australia "interested"Fiat has unveiled its new Aegea small sedan at the Istanbul motor show, and it could be coming to Australia as a direct rival for Toyota's top-selling Corolla.
Designed in Italy and developed in Turkey, the Skoda Rapid-sized four-door will replace the aging Linea (pictured last) in Fiat's European line-up.
Fiat says the Aegea will be sold in more than 40 countries in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region – all of which are left-hand drive markets – and that it "represents a symbolic bridge between East and West".
Fiat Chrysler Australia told motoring.com.au that it is "very interested" in the prospect of a small sedan for the local line-up, but notes there are no plans for a right-hand drive iteration of the Aegea just yet.
"The UK market is still under evaluation which means it's a little too soon to say," said FCA Australia spokesman, Andrew Chesterman.
"It's not immediately clear whether the Aegea will be made for our market, but obviously if it does become available in right-hand drive it is something we'd be very interested in."
Combining what its maker hails as "sumptuous Italian design" meshed with "excellent interior and load capacity", the Aegea measures 4500mm long, 1780mm wide and 1480mm high, and rides on a 2640mm wheelbase. The model was "born to be a sedan", says Fiat, insisting the model is "not a spin-off of the hatchback" (Punto).
Fiat says the sedan is built to accommodate "five well-built passengers" and offers 510 litres of cargo space. It will feature technologies borrowed from elsewhere in the FCA portfolio, including a 5.0-inch touch-screen Uconnect infotainment system with voice recognition, Bluetooth phone and audio streaming. Optionally, TomTom satellite-navigation and a reversing camera are available.
Power will come from a choice of two turbo-diesel and two petrol engines with manual and automatic transmissions available. The manufacturer says power outputs are rated from 71 to 90kW with fuel consumption averages "comparable to that of a city-car like Fiat Panda".
The Aegea will be built at FCA's Tofas plant at Bursa in Turkey, where it will go on sale from November. It will then be introduced gradually to other EMEA countries across 2016.
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