Hell-O! What do we have here! Spyshots of a spruced up Punto with a rear mounted spare wheel. Could this be the ‘crossover’ Punto from Fiat of Turin for India?
It was back in December 2012, Fiat officially announced its future roadmap for India. The product list included a B-segment crossover utility vehicle (CUV). Reports started pouring in and according to the latest one, the India bound CUV will be based on Punto and these latest sighting of the same opens up the clarity doors for us.
These couple of spyshots you see on this page feature a pimped up Punto with spare wheel at the rear door. And if I am not mistaken, the car also looks taller with increased ground clearance.
Quattroruote.it, the Italian publication which first published the photographs of this new development at Fiat accords that this Punto Adventure has all the chances of making it to India and possibly a few other countries. No official word on that but we expect to see clearer frontal shots soon.
The photographs show the rear of a Punto with the spare wheel bolted on to a metal swing arm affixed to the rear bumper. It looks like that in order to open the rear luggage door one will have to swing the spare wheel arm out of the way to access the rear door which would then open in the usual hatchback fashion. This system might not be to everyone’s liking but it will make sure that the weight of the spare wheel and its cover does not unsettle the carefully aligned rear door.
The engine details have already been revealed and Fiat’s crossover will be powered by a 1.4L naturally aspirated petrol engine (from Linea) and the 1.3L Multijet diesel engine, possibly in the 90PS VGT tune. The close up image of the test car also makes it evident that there is no rear differential in the car, which would mean the ‘cross’ Punto will most probably be the usual front wheel drive car.
Fiat’s CUV will be launched sometime in the second half of this year and an Auto Expo showcase is what we expect.
Being Italian it will have the looks, mind you, what it might lack is the ‘go’ to carry that ‘show’. And that, I am afraid, is typical of all ‘crossover’ cars that are being considered for India.
Also Check Out: List of All 3 Upcoming Crossover Hatchbacks in India in 2014
