Fiat India will launch the refreshed Punto in August, Indian Autos Blog has come to know. The facelifted hatchback will be called the 'Punto Evo', and shipments to several dealers have already commenced.
The exteriors of the hatchback see newly designed headlights, grille (inspired by the Fiat Viaggio sedan), bumpers, alloy wheels, tweaked taillights and a new Orange body color. Inside, the Punto Evo will get its dashboard from the refreshed 2014 Linea. Spy shots have shown the Punto Evo with an all-black dashboard, and a dual-tone black-and-beige dashboard, indicating that both trims could be offered to customers.
Mechanically, the Punto will continue using the 1.2- and 1.4-liter petrol engines and the 1.3-liter diesel engine. The diesel motor, which accounts for more volumes, is available in two states of tunes of 76 PS (74.9 bhp) and 93 PS (91.6 bhp). The 1.2-liter petrol engine makes 68 PS (67 bhp) and the larger petrol is good for 90 PS (88.7 bhp). All engines come with a 5-speed manual gearbox sending power to the front wheels.
The Punto Evo's launch will be followed with the introduction of the Avventura and the Abarth 500 during the festival season.
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Competitors: Maruti Swift, Hyundai i20, Tata Bolt, Honda Jazz, VW Polo
Expected Price: INR 5-7.5 lakhs, ex-Showroom
