According to reports in Britain, Fiat will launch a five-door version of the 500. No, we aren't talking about the bulbous 500L.
Fiat will replace its aging Punto B-segment hatchback with a new five-door member of the 500 family, British publication Auto Express reports. The retro-themed five-door 500 will be based on the platform of the current Punto, the same that underpins the 500L and the upcoming 500X. It will share nothing with the Cinquecento apart from a badge and styling cues.
The decision to move from the Punto to a five-door 500 is significant on several levels. It highlights Fiat's strategy to bet on retro design even for volume models, essentially allowing its competitors to shape styling trends for the future of the industry. The Italian marque has been at the forefront of technology and design in Europe's B-segment since the early-'70s.
The five-door 500 also underscores Fiat's reliance on existing platforms, which are typically shared with other automakers. The Italian brand's R&D capabilities have suffered severely over the past decade, and this extension of an existing platform is a cost-effective solution to broaden the product portfolio.
- Instrumented Test: 2013 Fiat 500C Abarth
- Instrumented Test: 2014 Fiat 500L 6MT / 6AT
- Instrumented Test: 2013 Fiat 500E EV
Engines, too, will be sourced from the corporate parts bin. Power will be supplied by a range of naturally aspirated and turbocharged four-cylinders, and the coarse TwinAir two-cylinder turbo will be available as well. It's nearly a foregone conclusion that a high-performance Abarth version will be made available, which likely would benchmark Volkswagen's GTI.
Auto Express predicts a 2015 market launch for Europe. While it's not clear if such a model were to come to the U.S., if it were, it likely wouldn't arrive until at least a year later.
from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com
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