Fiat’s attempt to revive its sales and share in India also includes a product which marks its entry into a segment which has not really kicked off too well in India. The Volkswagen Cross Polo and the ugly Toyota Etios Cross have been average performers so far but that ‘CROSS’ tag is definitely trending these days.
So just after the launch of the new Punto Evo, their upcoming next product is the Avventura, a crossover hatchback which actually manages to look pretty darn good.
It was already known that Avventura will be launched towards the second half of this year and Autocar has given it a definite timeline. According to them, the Italian auto major is planning to launch the Avventura within a time span of 60 days from now which means by October we should see it in our local showrooms. The car has been spotted quite a number of times and its presence at the Auto Expo has managed to create quite a buzz specially amidst the Fiat fans in the country.
The car is based on the new Punto platform but with a lot of crossover traits. Fiat confirmed that Avventura will have a higher ground clearance and Autocar pegs it at around 200mm, which is fantastic. It will also have larger 16 inch wheels, body cladding, roof rails, tilt and steer dials on the dashboard and skid plates, to enhance that crossover image.
It is not a compact SUV or a proper crossover per say, but in this era of rugged hatchbacks, Avventura definitely stands out and looks the part! The Avventura is also scheduled to make its way to Nepal where it will be exported from India.
And that’s not all. Fiat is also planning to release the performance version of their globally successful hatchback series, the Fiat 500 before the end of this year. The performance edition, known as Abarth 500, was showcased at the Auto Expo and will be the hot hatch in the lineup. While initially this 137 bhp car would be sold via the Completely Built Unit (CBU) route, Fiat plans to later start localizing it in India to bring down the costs.
Related: New Fiat Punto EVO vs Old Punto: Price Comparison
