Last year, Fiat, the Italian automaker, revealed its plans of launching 12 new cars in the Indian car market in next five years. The company is preparing for the launch of its highly acclaimed Jeep brand with Cherokee and Wrangler SUV. Abarth tuned Avventura and Punto will be introduced in our market by the festive season. The maker is also contemplating a replacement for the aging Punto hatchback in the European market in 2016. If reports are to be believed, the company is planning to launch an all-new five-door hatchback under its popular 500 badge. This five-door version of the Fiat 500 is rumored to be named as Fiat 500 Plus.
It is expected that the current three-door Fiat 500 will be benefited with the added rear doors. The Italian maker is aiming to capitalize on the growing popularity of its Fiat 500 family, and the new hatchback will also be based on the same platform. This flexible platform successfully underpins a 3-door city car, 5-door, 7-seater 500L MPV and the Fiat 500X crossover.
Talking about Indian market, the next generation Punto will be launched by the end of 2017. Until then, the maker will continue to offer the current Punto, but with timely updates to keep things fresh in the market. Previous reports suggest that the hatchback would feature the ‘New Global Small’ platform, and will be positioned between the three-door 500 and the 500L MPV.
