Focus fighter from Fiat: the Linea
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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.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Erolb 10:30AM (10/20/2006)
Italian no?
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Andrew Wheeler 10:36AM (10/20/2006)
The front screams Volvo S40.
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JJ 10:36AM (10/20/2006)
uh, its italian not french.
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Charles 10:41AM (10/20/2006)
Fiat is Italian, plus it looks like a VW Passat.
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Jared 10:39AM (10/20/2006)
"Focus fighter from the French" ROFL. Nice try, though.
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samuel 10:40AM (10/20/2006)
Holy crap, you think Fiat is French? Or is there some hidden joke in the headline that over all of our heads?
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Andy 10:41AM (10/20/2006)
it's most likely gonna have the same engine choices as the Grande Punto...and how is Fiat mistaken for a french company?
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Ken 10:43AM (10/20/2006)
Fiat is Italian!!!!
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Robert 10:43AM (10/20/2006)
Turin (Torino) is close to the French border yet I've heard no news of it's annexation.
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Brian Heater 10:45AM (10/20/2006)
Fiat is as French as bangers and mash.
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Vincent 10:51AM (10/20/2006)
Fiat = Italian, Fiat not equal French. Or there is something that you wanted to say by that and we do not understood ? :?
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Tiago do Vale 10:52AM (10/20/2006)
Besides FIAT beeing an historic ITALIAN constructor, this car ISN'T of the C-segment, midsize sedan and will not compete with Ford Focus and Renault Megane.
This car is a B-SEGMENT small sedan, that will compete with SEAT Cordoba, Opel Corsa Sedan, Renault Clio Sedan, etc..
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Stoneman 10:58AM (10/20/2006)
Another credibility ding to autoblog...
Stoneman
http://www.stonemanautoreview.com
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Hamud 10:59AM (10/20/2006)
Ok guys, they made a mistake, what's the big deal?? Lets talk about the car.
It looks very similar to the Focus to me, actually, not looking at the headlights and taillight, it looks almost the same. Anyway, is really nice.
Here in Brazil we have many cars from Fiat, they are one of the biggest car companies around, they do nice, reliable and good looking cars, but I would never get a Linea instead of an Euro Focus.
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tony2x 12:49PM (10/20/2006)
Maybe it's wishful thinking that the French could produce a car that doesn't look like it's been styled by the visually impaired.
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Benoit Cerrina 1:33PM (10/20/2006)
I want to confirm the comment from Tiago do Vale about which car this is going to compete against.
I will also add that it will not compete well in Europe except in Spain Portugal and maybe Italy (but the last only because it is Italian). Other European countries prefer hatches and really do not take well to hatch derived sedan. This is a car made for Turkey, north africa and other countries which tend to prefer 3 boxes sedan.
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brad 5:13PM (10/20/2006)
The issue is the Autoblog, and all of its sister blogs, are attempting to be Experts in the fields they cover, but constantly make horrble mistakes, use trite and stupid lingo, and expect people to keep reading. Eventually we will not even try to muddle through the crap to find any good at all.
drop some good deets! get real, and write accurate artcles, or hire real writters, rather than people that send you crap over the wire.
Brad
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fd 11:52AM (10/20/2006)
Brand / Country mismatch? In the headline! There is no excuse for that.
The deal is that for an automotive blogger / news journalist the least one should know is which brand is from where. Period. ( you big mistake is like saying Ferrari is from Spain, Cadillac from Canada, Volvo from Finland, etc. - get it? )
If you're not up to par with European brands: look it up.
It is all about the facts.
Maybe a few car history books are in order for the holiday season.
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fsx 11:51AM (10/20/2006)
Regarding Tiago do Vale's comment: you are right that it is based on a B-segment platform (the one from the Grande Punto), but it has been further developed to make the Linea a C-segment car. Autoblog's people have shown not to be well informed as to where Fiat comes from, but they did no mistake when talking C-segment: go to www.fiatautopress.com and check the official Fiat Linea press release: it says it is a C-segment car.
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Brian St. John 11:54AM (10/20/2006)
Re: #12. This vehicle is the sedan version of the Bravo/Brava replacement. It actually IS a "C-Segment" sedan. FIAT's press release, as Autoblog's entry, are correct in that aspect.
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