Today, the first photos of the successor to the Fiat Linea were taken at a test facility in Sweden, where the sedan is undergoing winter testing. The model is heavily camouflaged and appears to be a bit longer and wider than the current generation.
According to the Fiat 5-year plan that was previously unveiled, a new compact sedan is supposed to come out in 2016. However, different reports suggest this has been delayed until 2016, as the Italian company tried to figure out how to make the Linea profitable. The strategy includes targeting VW Jetta and Peugeot 301 buyers.
Like the Panda, the Linea will offer less premium features and the model lineup will be streamlined to reduce production costs, just like it is for Dacia. We're likely going to get a preview of the engine lineup when Fiat reveals the 500 facelift later in 2015.
Production will take place at Fiat's factory in Turkey and the global marketplace is being targeted. It's expected that the all-new Linea will be underpinned by the Small-Wide Architecture that was also used in the development of the Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X. Most of the engines will be carried over from these crossovers and we expect an emphasis to be placed on small units like the 1.3-liter diesel and the 1.4-liter turbo petrol. 5-speed manual gearboxes could be the norm, but a simple auto option should be offered on high-spec models.
According to the same corporate strategy we talked about,the Fiat brand wants to increase its global sales from 1.5 million in 2013 to roughly 1.9 million in 2018. The Linea will undoubtedly play a part in that. However, India and Latin America will continue to offer the outgoing version for another two years.
Like the Panda, the Linea will offer less premium features and the model lineup will be streamlined to reduce production costs, just like it is for Dacia. We're likely going to get a preview of the engine lineup when Fiat reveals the 500 facelift later in 2015.
Production will take place at Fiat's factory in Turkey and the global marketplace is being targeted. It's expected that the all-new Linea will be underpinned by the Small-Wide Architecture that was also used in the development of the Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X. Most of the engines will be carried over from these crossovers and we expect an emphasis to be placed on small units like the 1.3-liter diesel and the 1.4-liter turbo petrol. 5-speed manual gearboxes could be the norm, but a simple auto option should be offered on high-spec models.
According to the same corporate strategy we talked about,the Fiat brand wants to increase its global sales from 1.5 million in 2013 to roughly 1.9 million in 2018. The Linea will undoubtedly play a part in that. However, India and Latin America will continue to offer the outgoing version for another two years.