Spied - Fiat's future i10 slayer spotted testing in Brazil wearing the Panda's attire

05/06/2013 - 11:55 | Fiat,   | Nithyanandh K

Regular Indian Autos Blog readers know that Fiat is developing a city car in Brazil which is codenamed Fiat Project 344 to rival the likes of the Chevrolet Beat, Citroen C1 and the forthcoming Honda Brio.

Fiat XC3 a.k.a. Fiat project 344 spied in Brazil
The Fiat XC3 city car which is based on the new Uno platform will look completely different from this test mule. The car will rival the Hyundai i10 and the Honda Brio.

Earlier we had presented the spyshots and a speculative rendering of the Fiat city car. Autos Segredos has managed to snap the test mule once again while Fiat's Brazilian engineers were carrying out trials. The hatchback continues to test its chassis by wearing the body parts of the old Fiat Panda.

Touted to be the successor of Uno Mille (the Uno which came to India) in Brazil, it is based on the platform that underpins the Novo Uno and the Novo Palio. By sharing a significant number of components with these cars, Fiat would be able to price the new mini car competitively.

Autossegredos.com.br reports that Fiat has changed the codename of the car from Project 344 to XC3. The XC3 will be built at Fiat Brazil's plant at Betim, (MG).

Fiat Uno
The XC3 is a spiritual successor to the Uno Mille

Reports suggest that the XC3 will be available with a 1.0 litre petrol engine and a 0.9 litre MultiAir turbo petrol motor.

Fiat's small cars are highly sought after in Brazil and the XC3 is expected to add substance to the lineup by lowering the entry price. Back in India, there were reports that Fiat would introduce a car smaller than the Palio, but such a product didn't feature in the company's detailed future product map announced late last year.

Fiat will concentrate on the Linea, Punto and the proposed crossover for India until 2016. The Indian crossover segment is showing more promise than the hatchback's, explaining the logic behind the strategy.

[Source: Autossegredos.com.br]

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