Focus fighter from Fiat: the Linea

click on image to enlarge

Fiat has unveiled a C-segment, midsize sedan it hopes will take cars like the Ford Focus and Renault Megane to the mat in Europe and elsewhere across the oceans. Called the Linea, the sedan looks larger than a Euro Focus four-door, about the size of a Pontiac G6. It's built, however, off of the smaller Grande Punto's platform with a half meter extra in length thanks to a longer wheelbase and a more generous rear overhang that contributes to a 17.65 cubic foot trunk. The car will debut at the Instanbul Motor Show early next month, which is fitting since it was developed through a joint venture between Fiat and TOFAS, the Turkish Automotive Factory, Inc., and will be built at the joint venture's plant in Bursa, Turkey. The Linea will go on sale in the second half of 2007 in European and non-European countries, though for now the U.K. will be excluded. No word on what powerplants will be offered with the Linea, either.

You'll find Fiat's full press release after the jump...

[Source: Fiat]

PRESS RELEASE:

Fiat Linea - World Premiere

Fiat Linea is an all-new segment C three-box saloon which débuts at the Istanbul Motor Show taking place from 2 to 12 November. Produced in collaboration with Tofas, the Turkish joint venture between Fiat Auto and Koç Holding quoted on the Istanbul Stock Exchange, the Fiat Linea will be first manufactured in the joint venture's Bursa plant in Turkey (at an annual production of 60,000 units) and marketed in a number of European and non-European countries starting in the second half of 2007. The vehicle will later be produced in other countries by FIAT.

Designed by the Fiat Style Centre, the new Fiat Linea presents an elegant, dynamic external line. The same stylistic attention has been paid to the interior, the lines of which are harmonious and well balanced with the exterior to create a bright and friendly environment capable of guaranteeing extraordinary interior roominess and superior comfort in terms of ergonomics and space available to the driver and passengers. This impression is confirmed by the car's generous dimensions which set it at the very top of its segment: 4.56 metres long, 1.73 m wide, 1.5 m tall and with a wheelbase of 2.6 m, in addition to having a luggage compartment boasting an impressive 500 litres.

An elegantly functional car, with a strong Italian imprint, the Fiat Linea will be marketed in different equipment levels and equipped with features more usually found in higher segment vehicles as demonstrated by a number of sophisticated infotelematic devices which improve the comfort and quality of time spent on board.

The Fiat Linea's generous equipment is dedicated to the protection of driver and passengers and the customer can choose from a wide range of gasoline and diesel engines that combine excellent performance, low fuel consumption and absolute respect for the environment, coupled to both manual and automatic transmissions.

And in order to guarantee the best price/content ratio, the various combinations of Fiat Linea equipment levels available are all characterised by high value for money.

Share This Photo X