Fiat cars moving out of the mass-market in Europe to focus mainly on the Panda and the 500 range

Looks like Fiat is pulling off a Boeing 787 Dreamliner/Airbus A350 XWB, albeit in small parts. But the dent repair will be quite costly, unless all cars adopt this in future. And there is also the question of whether dented polymer parts retain their former natural strength after repair.

Perhaps on Bajaj Rickshaws at first would be the best candidates to test them out. Then the Nano too, with gasoline FE jump to 40kmpl.. with an added ecological benefit of more efficient burning. For safety providing nothing more than those rubber bumpers on dodgem cars..

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/fiat-chrysler-begin-new-european-push-suvs

Autocar UK, like its Indian franchise, is a reviewer of debatable quality and even ethics, but, like its Indian avatar, is reputed for getting its 'serious'/'sourced' news journalism right.

PS or PM: Can you wait till, what?, 2017, @acechip , for one or who knows two of these splendid and hopefully available (and affordable) CUV/SUV-s? Sync your post-Linea timing with FCA India's 'slowtime'?

http://www.fcamelfiplant.fiat.com/

A 'virtual tour' of the state of the art plant at Melfi, Italy where the 500X and the Jeep Renegade are being manufactured, for exports as much as for sales in Europe (both seem good-to-great already, and its only been 1-2-3 months since their launch/availability.

The question is "When" , sir ? IF you can bring your considerable knowledge of all things Fiat to predict this trillion-euro question, that would be really helpful!

@acechip

Why in the voluptuous fullness of time, of course!

But given the time it takes to design, develop and test, and then localize new vehicles (the Jeep c-suv, the Jeep and/or Fiat b-suv below 500x and Renegade, a possible Fiat C-suv) i'd say the first of any such vehicle localized in India albeit for exports can only be expected at the earliest in late 2017?

Unless the Renegade and/or 500X come first (unlikely imo).

https://www.autoedizione.nl/fiat-ververst-de-panda-4x4-en-creeert-de-panda-city-cross/

FIAT in europe is continuing its differentiation in the face of free-trade, state-subsidised and currency-warring competition from low cost/discount small car brands, in europe, such as esp Hyundai-Kia, Suzuki, and also Dacia by 'eurochic stylising' its great, successful small citycar nameplates, namely the Panda and not just the Fiat 500/500L/500X. THAT is what makes FIAT FIAT, in europe, its brand dna/identity, as it were.

There is also, of course, their platform and engines etc mate (Italy-only): the Lancia Ypsilon, aimed predominantly at female buyers of a certain 'elegant' but non-retrochic taste.

Now this great new version: very funky-sporting PandaCross 4x4 styling but minus the 4x4 hard- and soft-ware. And cheaper. Called 'CityCross' i.e., similar to our own 'Avventura Urban Cross' in concept

Meant to glean even more sales for the Panda lineup, now in the face of new low-cost/price competition such the new Suzuki Ignis.

A refresh of the regular Panda is coming very soon, too: UConnect touchscreen etc.

The Panda is made in Italy at the first of the bleeding-edge WCM plants, at Pomigliano d'Arco, Italy, after marchionne took over at FIAT Group in 2004.

The nextgen comes around 2019, it will no longer be made in Italy, which shall by then NOT make anymore FIATs but stick instead to high-price, higher-margin Maserati, Jeep and at P D'Arco Alfa Romeo-s as their model count and sheer sales numbers keep rising a lot and quite quickly (mainly for global exports.)

The nextgen Panda will be closely related new-platform and new engines (w/ mild hybrids, no small 1.3 diesel anymore!)-wise to the nextgen, allnew FIAT 500, as well as the Jeep sub-renegade a/b-suv, built for europe in either lower-cost Poland or Serbia.

That JEEP is said to be scheduled for India eventually (end 2019? 2020?), after the Renegade, also/mainly for exports, ergo: the FIAT brand will have an approximately 4m long cuv/suv ready by then for possible (?) India manufacture, namely the nextgen PandaCross, a model that would have sizeable export demand too in rhd format, namely esp to Japan and to the UK. It is a low-margins, high-volumes sort-of-model for FIAT in europe, in japan and the uk, i.e., Indian manufacture would make cost-competitive sense, both for India and importantly for rhd exports too?

Indeed the Panda 4x4 is THE original small suv in europe at least (not counting the early small Willy's Jeeps.) Well, alongwith the Suzuki Jimny, at any rate. TopGear famously declared it the world's best pukka-suv, ahead of both Jeep and LandRover!