Fiat LInea and Punto Absolute Edition introduced; new cars planned

Fiat does it again. Like it did last October, Fiat India has launched an accessory pack for the Grande Punto hatchback and the Linea sedan. The “Absolute Edition” accessory pack is available free of cost to Linea and Grande Punto owners, as a deal sweetener for those who are in the market for a Fiat car at the fag end of the year.

Here’s a gist of what you’ll get with the Absolute Edition accessory pack, which Fiat claims is worth 25,000 rupees:

• GPS module
• Reverse parking sensors
• Mud flaps
• Door sill guards with Linea/Punto badging
• Carpets
• Door visors
• Absolute badging
• Chrome strip on the bootlid for the Linea

 

Apart from these accessories, the Italian car maker also offers a 60,000 rupee discount on the Punto and a 70,000 rupee discount on the Linea. These discounts comprise of exchange bonuses and free roadside assistance packages. If you’re a good bargainer, you should be able to snag total discounts of close to a lakh rupees on certain variants of the Punto and about a lakh and a twenty thousand on the Linea sedan. Meanwhile, Fiat’s got interesting new launches lined up for 2014.

2014 Linea Facelift

The facelifted 2014 Linea will be showcased at next year’s Indian Auto Expo, with a launch to follow soon after. The car gets facelifted front and rear ends, along with a new dashboard on the inside. Expect a few additional features and creature comforts to be thrown in as well. The petrol engine option is likely to be limited to a 1.4 liter T-Jet turbo petrol motor that outputs 114 Bhp-207 Nm. The turbo diesel engine could be upgraded to a 1.6 liter Multijet unit that’s good for 105 Bhp-300 Nm, a step up from the current 1.3 liter (90 Bhp-209 Nm) on offer. For the want of official word, the diesel engine upgrade remains more of a rumour for now. The current Linea (pre-facelift) will be discontinued while the Linea Classic will continue to be sold in India.

2014 Fiat Grande Punto

Fiat will upgrade the Grande Punto with new cosmetic bits after the middle of next year. The car is likely to feature styling that’s similar to what’s found on the 2013 international facelift. The international facelift includes new front and rear styling, and a new dashboard. Also, new engine options have been available on the international version of the 2013 Punto. However, the India-spec Grand Punto facelift will retain its current engine and gearbox options. So, the upgrade will be more of a cosmetic makeover, on the lines of the Linea facelift. 

Fiat Punto Abarth

Next year, Fiat India will launch the Abarth performance brand here. The Punto will be the first car to get the Abarth treatment. The Abarth range will be sold through existing Fiat independent dealerships across the country. While it remains to be seen as to whether Fiat India will merely launch Abarth kits for the 2014 Punto or whether it will go the whole hog to launch a CBU import Abarth Punto, the car will be petrol powered. The engine in question will be a 1.4 liter turbo petrol unit in a high state of tune. While power and torque numbers of the India-spec Abarth Punto are unavailable at the moment, the car is likely to be the most powerful petrol hatchback in the sub-15 lakh rupee category.