Fiat Fiorino Qubo minivan - is it coming to India?

We think the funky little Fiat Fiorino Qubo minivan could do very well in India!

Fiat has announced that the production model of its Fiorino people carrier will be called the Fiorino Qubo. The funky little minivan will be launched in Europe by the end of this month, and it looks so cool, we hope Fiat also decides to bring it to India! While the Maruti Versa minivan may have failed to do well, the Fiorino Qubo looks vastly more contemporary, and could work wonders for Fiat’s fortunes in India.

The Fiorino Qubo has been designed to carry five people and is available with two engine options – a 75bhp, 1.3-litre Multijet diesel (which would be just perfect for the Indian market) and a 73bhp, 1.4-litre petrol. Five-speed manual and six-speed automatic gearboxes are available, and top speed for either version is around 150km/h. Fuel economy, for the diesel, would be in the region of 15-18km/l.

The Fiat Fiorino Qubo was created as a joint project between Fiat and PSA Peugeot Citroën, and in Europe, it is made at the Tofas factory in Bursa. In Europe, the vehicle will be priced at the equivalent of about Rs eight lakh, which would put in the Toyota Innova segment here.

With its spacious interiors, flexi-seating and stylish exteriors, we think the Qubo could very well work wonders for Fiat in India. We just hope somebody at Fiat is reading this…

Fiat Phylla to form basis for battery-powered Topolino?

Could Fiat possibly be selling a battery-powered small car - perhaps the Topolino - in India, in the next few years? Don't bet against it!
Pic: Auto Express

According to a report on Auto Express, the solar-powered Fiat Phylla concept car may actually be a testbed for ‘green’ technologies that Fiat may use on the electric Topolino, which is likely to go into production by 2010.

Given that fuel prices are rocketing upwards – a trend that will probably continue in the months and years to come – most manufacturers are working on hybrids and at least seriously thinking about battery-powered electric cars. With the solar-powered Phylla concept, Fiat may test and fine-tune its battery and electric motor technologies, which may come in handy for the electric Topolino and/or even a battery-powered Fiat 500!

Fiat’s electric small cars are likely to feature plastic bodywork and lithium-ion batteries. Solar power from roof panels and energy reclaimed from a regenerative braking system may also be part of the package.

According to Auto Express, the battery-powered Topolino will cost about Rs eight lakh. In the Indian context, that’s pretty expensive for a small car. But maybe with some more development, costs can come down sufficiently to allow Fiat to launch an electric small car in this country in the next 2 – 3 years.

Fiat Topolino to be reborn, Fiat may create separate small car brand with Tata Motors inputs

The Fiat Topolino, when it comes out in 2010, will be the smallest hatchback in Fiat's lineup. A four-door version of the car could also come to India!
Pic: Auto Express

The very cool, smart little Fiat 500, which may be scheduled to come to India in 2009 as a CBU, will soon have a younger brother – the Topolino. Named after the original Fiat Topolino, which was launched in the late-1930s, the new Topolino will be the smallest hatchback in Fiat’s lineup.

Like the Tata Nano, the Fiat Topolino will have a rear-mounted engine – likely to be a 900cc two-cylinder petrol-powered unit from Fiat – and the car will also be rear wheel drive. This will allow the car’s designers to free up as much cabin space as possible, and also make sure the car complies with basic crash protection norms.

The new Topolino is likely to come with the start-stop technology which we spoke of earlier, and fuel economy is expected to be in the 30km/l range. Fiat engineers are also said to be working on a petrol-electric hybrid version of the 900cc two-cylinder engine, which may find its way into the Topolino by the time the car arrives in European showrooms in 2010.

In the meanwhile, Fiat is also exploring the possibility of setting up a separate brand for small, low cost cars, which could be very relevant for India. In fact, Tata Motors could have a role to play in the creation of the new brand, and the Topolino could even come to India under that new brand, if Fiat does decide to go ahead with plans. The Italian company is likely to take a final call on this by the end of the year.

Fiat to source components worth 250mn euros from India by 2010

Fiat's global expenditure on buying auto components, by the year 2010, is expected to be around nine billion euros. Of this, 250 million euros will be spent on buying parts from India

By 2010, Fiat will be sourcing automotive components from India to the tune of 250 million euros, up from the 30 million euros’ worth of components which they currently source from the country.

Fiat will use components sourced from India for its car plants in Europe, South America and North America. The Italian company will benefit from 10% to 15% lower component costs by sourcing from India, and it’s already in talks with vendors who’ll need to upscale their operations to meet Fiat’s demand for parts.

However, buying from India will still be a very small part of Fiat’s worldwide operations – the company will be spending more than nine billion euros on buying auto parts from Eastern Europe, Africa, South America and China.

Fiat Palio: CNG variant planned for 2009

With petrol and diesel variants already available, Fiat will now do a CNG version of the Palio, which might possibly cater to the taxi market in Maharashtra?

In the face of ever-rising petrol prices, some hapless consumers, and of course taxi drivers, are left with no option but to fit LPG or CNG kits in their car, which reduces running costs by a big margin. Keeping this in mind, Fiat India is planning to launch a CNG variant of the Palio hatchback by early 2009.

Fiat India, which has not been doing too well in the country despite its best efforts, hasn’t given up on this market yet. The Italian company has many new car launches lined up for the next few months, including the very stylish 500 hatchback, the Linea and the Grande Punto.

While the 500 would be imported as a CBU in limited numbers, the Linea sedan and Grande Punto hatchback will be made at Fiat’s plant in Ranjangaon, near Pune. It remains to be seen whether Fiat India can indeed make a comeback to profitability with its new range of cars.