Shares its underpinning with the Jeep Renegade, which too is cancelled for India.
While earlier spyshots of the Fiat 500X showed it testing with the Jeep Renegade's body, the test mule here wears the production body and was spotted in Sicily, Italy. Based on the same platform as the Renegade, which made its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show this year, the 500X is expected to launch in Europe later this year or early next year.
While both cars - 500X and Renegade - share the Fiat-Chrysler Small-Wide platform, their exterior and interior designs are completely different. As seen in these images, the 500X looks like a toughened-up 500, whereas the Renegade has a more butch appearance. Inside, the interior layout of the 500X is expected to look funky and yet retro, much like the 500 series of cars.
In terms of powertrain, the 500X is expected to mirror the Renegade's engine lineup which starts from a 1.4-liter MultiAir engine. However, where the Renegade is offered with a 4WD system as standard, the 500X will come with a default front wheel drive layout, with an AWD system being offered on the top-end trim.
In India, Fiat has no plans to launch the 500X, at least in the intermediate future. Instead, the brand will introduce the Punto-based Avventura crossover, with the launch confirmed to happen within 58 days from now.
Competitors: Ford EcoSport, Jeep Renegade, Hyundai ix25
Expected Price: INR 12-15 lakhs, ex-Showroom
Launching in: Late 2014/Early 2015 in Europe
[Images from Auto Plus]
