Fiat is hoping it can emulate Dacia’s success with the new frugal and practical Tipo compact family.
The Fiat Tipo sedan will compete in Europe’s affordable compact segment where Dacia is not present. Dacia’s Logan sedan and Sandero hatchback are both subcompact models.
According to Alfredo Altavilla, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ chief operating officer for Europe, the Fiat Tipo will have no direct rival. “It will be a test for the market because the affordable compact segment in Europe basically does not exist,” he told Automotive News Europe.
The Tipo will be marketed as an affordable proposition at the lower end of Europe’s compact segment. Pricing information is not yet available, but the Tipo sedan is expected to start at around €12,000 ($13,645).
According to Altavilla, the reactions to the car are promising. “We showed it to Italian dealers, it went pretty well,” the executive said.
The first market to get the new model is Turkey, where it will be sold as the Egea starting in November. From December, the sedan will go on sale in Italy and later in some 40 other countries in Fiat’s EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region. In these markets, the car will be sold as the Tipo.
The sedan will be followed by hatchback and station wagon variants next year, with both body styles to be unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show in March. While the Tipo sedan will replace the Linea and will target mostly markets in eastern Europe and Turkey, the hatchback will be a successor for the Bravo and will mainly be sold in western Europe. The estate version will be a follow-up to the Stilo Multiwagon, discontinued in 2008.
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