The refreshed Fiat Linea is planning to venture out of Europe and Brazil is expected to be the first stop.
Fiat's focus on urban utility vehicles and a cautious approach in these testing times mean that cars like the Grande Punto and Linea would be relegated to the backburner when it comes to their respective next generations. In order to compensate, Fiat has facelifted the Linea last year with mild changes to the exterior and significant revision to the interior.
The refreshed sedan had been launched in countries like Turkey, Greece and Spain and now Brazil appears to be the next destination. Unlike in India, Fiat is a very prominent player in Brazilian market and the introduction of the facelifted Linea sedan there is an important move.
To start with, Fiat designers have taken the front fascia closer to the Fiat Viaggio, especially with the chrome finished grill. The front bumper has interesting details and the trough shaped lower airdam with chrome inserts stands out. The rear gets slightly reprofiled tail lamps and chrome servings.
The interior is where the difference is much more apparent. The dashboard design is entirely new and adopts a dual tone theme. A conventional center console replaces a dull design.
Autossegredos.com.br reports that Fiat Brazil has already started assembling the first facelifted prototypes which will be used for testing and validation. The current 1.8 litre E.TORQ motor is expected to keep its position, paired with manual and automatic gearboxes.
The refreshed Fiat Linea is expected to be launched in Brazil by November 2013. For India, Fiat has promised to bring the next generation Linea next year and has also announced that the current Linea will be rebranded as the Linea Classic this year.
[Source: Autossegredos.com]
