Fiat wants to make up for lost time with light cars

The Fiat Punto production ceased in 2018, and the brand hasn’t had a single light vehicle in Europe since.

That is set to change.

Fiat is calling Its new 600e an alternative to Punto, and it will be joined by a new electric panda. Fiat is also considering New generation Puntoalso with electrical energy.

But Fiat could have had a Punto replacement a lot earlier, according to company CEO Oliver Francois.

“Back then, in 2013, we had a project to replace Punto,” says Francois.

The third generation of Punto debuted in 2005 on a new platform that was then co-developed with General Motors as part of the two companies’ short-lived collaboration.

But it was neglected, received many upgrades instead of the new generation, and was dropped without replacement in 2018.

Its axle came shortly after Euro NCAP re-tested the hatchback, giving it a star rating for the first time.

Mr Francois showed an early sketch of the proposed Punto replacement car, which resembles the upcoming 500X – and therefore looks like a larger scale car. 500 city cars.

“[Sergio] Marchionne was skeptical of the B segment, being too competitive, not profitable enough, so we came up with a larger 500 and they liked the idea,” said Antonio Massacesi, head of new products at Fiat , referring to the former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) CEO.

“More aspirational than Punto or Fiesta or Clio, so the price was much better, so we planned and they approved.

“Then a few months later, we had to stop it, and then resume it, and then stop again, because really to get it right, we needed a whole new platform, the old one from Grande Punto was broken. both in terms of safety and emissions and no other brand can share the cost.

“So a whole new platform for just one car? That’s a no-no.

However, now that Fiat is part of Stellantis, it has access to more platforms that can be shared between multiple brands.

According to the FCA, the only other brand that sells small cars like the Punto or 500 is Lancia (Dodge sells modified Hyundai and Mitsubishi models of this size, but only in Mexico), which makes sharing foundation becomes difficult.

In contrast, the new Fiat 600e shares the platform with models from the DS, Jeep, Opel and Peugeot.

While Fiat doesn’t have a light car in its home market, leaving a gap between the city car 500 and Panda and the Tipo small car, its Latin American operations already have the Argo hatch and Cronos sedan to power the car. buyers in this segment.