You could be forgiven for thinking that the car you see pictured is a facelifted Fiat Tipo. However, it’s not.

It is simply a poorly photoshopped version of the Fiat Tipo Sport we saw in January last year. These two images have recently been circling the web and have already been picked up by at least one major European automotive publication. The pictures were first shared online by the CocheSpias page on Instagram.

When initially looking at the Fiat presented from the front, you could be forgiven for thinking there’s nothing out of the ordinary and that you are indeed looking at a new model. However, take a closer look at the photo and you’ll notice it is based on an official image of the Tipo Sport and has been mirrored, meaning it is now right-hand drive. Alterations have been made to the front fascia of the car and there are also a set of new wheels.

The origin of the rear three-quarter photo of the so-called ‘facelifted’ Fiat Tipo is especially obvious. Like the front photo, this image is also based on one of the current Tipo Sport. For starters, the car is no longer right-hand drive and has the exact same black roof and spoiler as the Tipo Sport.

In addition, the taillights have been poorly doctored and perhaps most telling of all is how the smooth rear bumper magically produces the same shadow as the Tipo Sport that sports an aggressive diffuser.

The current Fiat Tipo has been on the market since 2015 and is due to receive a mid-life facelift in the near future. In early March, our spy photographers snapped a tweaked Tipo undergoing testing in the snow. The styling changes set to be applied to the refreshed model remain unclear but there will likely be the usual array of updated front and rear bumpers as well as new headlights and taillights.

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