Ritzy Ritmo set to strengthen Fiat line-up

Fiat has announced that its next addition to its passenger-car-line-up -- a Volkswagen Golf-sized hatchback -- will be known here as the Ritmo (rather than its international name of Bravo).

Due to launch at the 2007 Australian International Motor Show in Sydney on October 11, the Ritmo will complement the smaller Punto, which last year marked Fiat's return to the passenger-car segment after a 17-year hiatus.

Putting Ritmo badges on the car for Australia was an initiative necessitated by the fact that Mazda already has dibs on the Bravo nameplate for its light-commercial utes.

"Ritmo, like Bravo, is a name that was used for one of the new model's predecessors, a car that not only provided Fiat with strong sales in the 1970s and 80s, but which also produced what is often named as one of the world's best remembered TV commercials of all time, 'Hand-built by Robots'," said Fiat Australia general manager David Stone.

"That advertisement marked the achievement that the original Ritmo was the first car to be built almost entirely by robots, now an industry standard, and demonstrated the Fiat Group's domination in the automated car production line market with its 'Robotgate' production lines."

The new Fiat Ritmo will build on the (as yet smallish) buyer base established by the Punto and tap into the high-volume small-car segment, which is dominated (in sales terms) by the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3.

Fiat Australia says the Ritmo will be offered here with a 110kW 1.9-litre Multijet turbo-diesel and a new turbocharged version of the 1.4-litre petrol engine from the Punto.

Also producing 110kW, the new 1.4 litre T-JET engine is claimed to be "a light, compact high performance engine that also delivers significant fuel economy gains over engines that offer similar power from larger, heavier power units".

Like the Punto, the new Ritmo has a five star Euro-NCAP safety rating and will be a fully equipped and featured car that offers a "spacious and stylish interior to match its refined and chic exterior."

"The Ritmo name is derived from the Italian for 'rhythm'," explains David Stone. 

"It is often seen in the phase 'ritmo de vida' which directly translates as 'the rhythm of life' and which is used to describe things such as music, dance, art and theatre that bring pleasure, excitement and joy to life, a clear indication of the role that Fiat believes the Ritmo will play in the Australian car market with ritmo de vida also set to include driving."

Fiat says full local pricing and specification details will be announced when the Ritmo goes on sale in Australia in October.

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