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NEWS
SPY PICS: Fiat 500X
SUV set to bolster Fiat 500 range as Italian car-maker targets fresh segments as part of its five-year planFiat is looking to flesh out its line-up as part of its recently announced five-year plan, and the heavily camouflaged prototype pictured alongside is one of the models due to debut over the coming months.
The black contraption you see in these Automedia pics is a test mule of the upcoming Fiat 500X, which will ostensibly line up as a slightly pricier alternative to the likes of the Nissan JUKE when it goes on sale within two years.
The 500X is expected to make its first public appearance at October's Paris motor show, and will be a twin model to Jeep's all-new Renegade, which debuted at the Geneva show in March.
Both models will be released overseas in the second half of next year and have been confirmed for Australian release, but neither is likely to make it into local showrooms before 2016.
Fiat (which owns Chrysler) aims to maximise economies of scale by sharing platforms and component sets with its US affiliate wherever possible.
In the case of the 500X, it will be built alongside the Renegade at Fiat's Melfi factory in Italy, but the vehicle will bear no external resemblance to its American cousin.
In fact, given the heavy cloaking of this latest prototype, the 500X could be more significantly differentiated than previously indicated from the 500L people-mover on which it's based.
It's not possible to make out a great deal of detail from the extensively camouflaged prototype pictured alongside, but expect it to look at least somewhat similar to the 500L MPV, with the 'X' crossover appearing to have a far less boxy profile.
Despite sharing its hardware with the Renegade, including the SCCS platform that also underpins the Fiat Punto and Opel Corsa, it's believed the 500X chassis and packaging will be tailored to European tastes, as that's where the bulk of its sales will come from.
The 500X has been conceived as a global product, however, with engine choices depending on buyer preferences in individual markets. In Italy, which is Fiat's biggest market, most people will opt for small-displacement MultiJet diesel engines, but TwinAir petrol engines will also be offered.
Should Fiat succeed in bolting together a cohesive package, the 500X could be a profitable addition to the line-up, just as the JUKE has been for Nissan in Europe.
In SUV-hungry Australia, both the 500X and Renegade are likely to be volume-selling models for the Fiat and Jeep brands respectively – when they finally arrive.
– with Automedia
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Written byGautam Sharma
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