You (probably) won’t be able to tell just by looking at them, but the upcoming Fiat 500X and the new Jeep Renegade are twins. In fact, they not only share their underpinnings and hardware, but they will also be manufactured side-by-side at Fiat’s Melfi plant in central Italy.

The prototype spied here has more latex on its body than a glove factory, but the 500X’s exterior looks are no secret, as a pre-production version of the small crossover was captured on film during a presentation back in 2012.

And yes, it has all the usual styling elements of the expanding 500 family of models on the outside, with the Fiat offering a softer crossover look compared to the more SUV / rugged Jeep Renegade.

The same applies with the interior that we see here for the first time, albeit covered in vinyl hides and wires. There are three large gauges in the instrument panel and a colored board running through the entire width of the dashboard, which will no doubt be customizable.

Fiat will offer the 500X with two- and all-wheel drive, while the engine range will include MultiJet diesels (at least in Europe) and TwinAir petrol engines.

We should see the final production version of the 500X in the coming months, with sales, including in North America, to start in the first half of 2015.

Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoopS

Photo Gallery