12:34AM - 14.10.'15
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News Source: autoblog.com |
Fiat has announced that it is bringing the Tipo name back. The nameplate, which was last used two decades ago, is set to be applied this time to a new four-door sedan. It will be available across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East – but looks unlikely to be offered alongside the 500 family here in America. Unlike many European sedans in its class, the Tipo has been designed from the get-go with a three-box shape, rather than as a hatchback adapted to carry a trunk. The result, Fiat says, is a more harmonious form than some of its targeted competitors. It will be offered with a choice of four engines – two burning gasoline and two diesel – producing between 95 and 120 horsepower, driving through either an automatic or manual transmission. The design was previewed in concept form as the Aegea Project at the Istanbul Motor Show this past May. We knew at the time that it would likely adopt a different name for production, and now that name has been confirmed. It will not only be assembled in Turkey – where Fiat carries out much of its manufacturing – but also had the bulk of its development work carried out there as well. The last time the Tipo name was used was between 1988 and 1995 for a small, boxy hatchback designed by Ercole Spada. That Tipo was eventually succeeded by the Bravo and Brava, which were ultimately replaced by the Stilo – only to be replaced by another Bravo hatchback in 2007. And now, of course, it's a Tipo again – progress. |
