The next generation Fiat Linea could be sold under a different nameplate in select markets and will make its Indian debut only after 2017.
Based on the Punto platform, the current generation Fiat Linea is in its eighth year of production and was also updated with a chrome induced facelift last year in India in a bid to keep things fresh. However, little has helped to keep the sedan popular on the sales charts despite being an extremely capable model. Nonetheless, that could soon change as the Italian automaker has commenced work on the next generation Linea that was recently spotted testing for the first time in Sweden. Fiat could also use a new nameplate for the sedan replacing the ‘Linea’ moniker.
The heavily camouflaged 2016 Fiat Linea test mule gives out very little about the new model, but online reports do suggest that the 2016 Linea will be based on Fiat’s Small US Wide Architecture that currently underpins the Jeep Renegade, Fiat 500L and 500X models in the Fiat Chrysler Automotive (FCA) Group. The new Linea will be longer and wider than the outgoing model translating into improved cabin space and will also get a host of premium features so that it can be sold in western parts of Europe. The Linea replacement will also be joined by a hatchback and station wagon (estate) derivatives later in the timeline for the international markets.
Scheduled to make its debut in 2016, the all-new Linea will be produced at Fiat’s joint venture facility at Tofas in Turkey with an investment of $1 billion. The plant will reportedly roll out 5,80,000 units of the sedan annually and an additional 1,20,000 units of the hatchback and estate models together. In terms of powertrain, both the 1.4-litre turbo MultiAir and 2.0-litre MultiJet engines, with 140 PS will be found under the hood of the European Linea. In the Indian context, the C-segment sedan will continue in its current avatar for a good two years before the next generation model is launched.
Spy Pictures Source – Carscoops.com