The next-gen Fiat Linea has been spotted testing on international roads. From the looks of it, the heavily camouflaged model appears bigger than the current car, and is supposedly undergoing cold weather tests. It is suggested that Fiat is looking to reduce production costs and make the Linea more profitable in global markets.
This new Linea is expected to be underpinned by the Small-Wide Architecture that was also used in the development of the Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X. The Linea replacement will be a part of a new family of models for Fiat that will also include a new hatchback and a station wagon; all the three cars will be produced by Fiat's Turkish joint venture, Tofas, in 2016.
While styling is likely to be similar to the Viaggio sedan that is sold in China, the engines that are likely, will be from Fiat’s range of turbocharged petrol and diesel units.
The current Linea is sold in a number of developing markets like India and Brazil, and this is not likely to be discontinued anytime soon. The new model will debut first in Europe and then in other markets. Whether it eventually comes to markets like India and Latin America is not known yet.
Dipan Sur
Viraaj Bhatnagar
