Fiat is an Italian brand first and foremost, but
it's a major player (and manufacturer) in the Latin American market, where it's
just revealed the new Cronos sedan.
Built on a new modular platform, the Cronos replaces
the old Punto-based Linea sedan with a completely fresh form.
Though clearly coming from the same automaker that
builds the Tipo in Turkey, the Cronos is sized smaller to enter one of South
America's biggest market segments. The manufacturer estimates that niche
accounts for some 300,000 vehicles in Brazil and another 100,000 in neighboring
Argentina, a bigger slice of which Fiat is clearly eager to take.
Power comes from a choice of 1.3 or 1.8-liter
engines, and emphasis is said to have
been placed on the vehicle's handling. Brazilian and Argentinian customers can
expect to start seeing them on the road in the first quarter of the new year
ahead, by which time we'll presumably have a clearer picture of the model's
specs.
