Fiat India has got quite a few launches planned this year. After the New Linea, they will launch the Punto facelift and Avventura crossover hatchback. And in a new update spyshots of a new Linea mule have surfaced…
But hey, isn’t the new Linea facelift launched barely a few months back? So, what is happening here..?
According to the source Motoroids.com, this could be the new base variant in the making, proof of which is the black plastic bumpers and basic interiors. But testing a car just for variant differences is not really the norm these days. They just need to strip off some features and voila here is the new variant!
While this could be true, this spotting also has another angle attached to it. Could this be the new Linea with 1.6L Multijet diesel engine?
Now, why are we time and again talking about it and pestering Fiat is because of their own promise. Fiat India, in their roadmap showcased to the whole Indian media back in December 2012, had promised that the new Linea, would be released in early 2014 and would get the 1.6L multijet diesel engine (check pic below).
In fact, there was no mention of the 1.3L multijet motor at all! However, they launched the new Linea with ONLY the 1.3L MJD and did not, purposefully, even talk about the 1.6L MJD!
Despite the new car, Fiat has not really been able to increase Linea’s sales to bother the competition. It is obvious that a lot of hopeful customers are not happy. And they had the chance. A new stonker of a C-segment justifying motor would have definitely helped them target the performance-oriented crowd, and there is a big chunk out there!
Interestingly, there are talks that the new Maruti Suzuki S-Cross, which will be launched early next year, will come with the Fiat sourced 1.6L Multijet motor. If that be the case, it would be one of the biggest gaffes from Fiat India and its really not that difficult to understand this!
Cutting the long story short, its a nice little time for them to bring in the 1.6L Multijet. New Linea already has the 1.4L turbocharged petrol motor and the humble 1.3L MJD so the entry and mid segment is covered. The addition of 1.6L Multijet will definitely give them the much needed push and a reason for customers to consider the new car.
The mid-size sedan is one of the best looking cars in the segment and the new Linea, even though does not have many differences, still looks like a classic Italian bombshell! Fiat, launch it with the new 1.6L MJD, promote it well and you have a real good chance of flourishing in this fiercely competing segment.
Related: 2014 Fiesta vs Vento vs Linea vs Rapid vs SX4: Price & Spec Comparo
