Next gen Fiat Linea starts testing in Italy; Will lose the 'Linea' name - Spied

Expected to launch next year in markets abroad.

In November 2014, an announcement was made that Fiat's Turkish joint venture, Tofas, will invest 1 billion USD (about INR 6,100 crores) to produce a family of compact cars from 2016. In a filing, Tofas said that the plant will make 580,000 units of a new sedan from 2016-2023.

The new sedan in question is reported to be a replacement for the now aging Fiat Linea. Fiat has well extended the lifecycle of the Punto and Linea brands, though launching their next generation versions will not prove to be easy.

The Italian brand wants to consolidate its product portfolio under various sub-brands, like 500 and Bravo. Speculation is rife that the next gen Punto will be badged a 500, and according to recent reports, the Linea's replacement will be categorized under the Bravo nameplate.

Details on the new Linea (speculatively called Bravo sedan) are scarce at the moment. Engineers are likely to use the Small-Wide architecture (which also underpins the Fiat 500X and Jeep Renegade) to develop the new Linea, employing turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines.

Also read: Fiat Punto Evo with 1.4L T-Jet engine spied in India

For the Indian market, a product plan revealed that Fiat India would launch a successor to the Linea in mid-2017. This time around, Fiat would get a more powerful 1.5-liter MultiJet diesel engine to power its future products.

Rivals: Honda City, Maruti Ciaz, Hyundai Verna, VW Vento, Skoda Rapid
Expected Price: INR 7.5-10 lakhs ex-Showroom
Launch date: 2016 in international markets

[Head to WorldCarFans to view the spyshots]