The Indian arm of Fiat, a renowned Italian multinational automobile giant, has revealed intentions to launch an all new compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) on domestic turf, by the end of 2014.
The Fiat compact SUV is believed to be directed towards challenging the dominance of Renault Duster and Mahindra Quanto in the country. Further, the American auto major Ford Motor Company has also lined up its own compact SUV EcoSport for launch in Indian market, somewhere around start of next 2013-14 financial year. Hence, domestic car enthusiasts will soon witness French, American, Italian and Indian products fighting for market dominance in utility vehicle segment of the country.
The upcoming compact SUV from stables of Italian auto giant, is anticipated to come assimilated with the acclaimed 1.5 litre Fiat MultiJet diesel powertrain. The drivetrain featured under-the-hood is expected to be either a 6 speed dual clutch automatic transmission or a 6 speed manual gearbox. The 1.5 litre MultiJet power-mill will churn out best-in-class power and torque performance, a thing most common with Fiat models.
The yet-to-be launched Fiat model is going to be introduced with an aggressive price strategy, so as to enable it to confidently confront the likes of Duster, Quanto and possibly EcoSport. The Renault Duster is offered to domestic buyers within a price bracket starting from Rs. 7.4 lakhs that goes on till close to Rs. 12 lakhs. Hence, if Fiat India introduces its compact SUV around a price tag Rs. 8-10 lakhs, then some intense fireworks could be predicted in the near future.
