29.10.2004 The new Fiat Strada is being previewed at this week's Auto Africa Expo, prior to the pick-up commencing production in South Africa from mid next year

The new Fiat Strada pick-up, is being previewed at this week's Auto Africa Expo 2004 in Johannesburg.

The Strada is the third member of the 'World Car' project. However unlike the Palio hatchback and Siena saloon, on which it is based, and which have been assembled locally for half a a decade now, this pick-up has never been available in South Africa.

Fiat Auto South Africa believe that this model is set to become a significant segment player on the local market, building on the success it has seen in Brazil where around 25,000 are built each year. Once production commences locally, South Africa will become the global source for right hand drive versions.

The sub-Saharan country's tough terrain and many loose road surfaces and make the low-maintenance Strada an ideal vehicle for a wide variety of local requirements. To emphasise the solutions presented by the Strada, which offers a 700kg payload capability, an example has been shipped in for the Auto Africa show, the continent's leading bi-annual automotive gathering.

Due to be launched in mid next year, the Strada will be part of a complete overhaul of FASA's commercial line-up, supporting the further development of the brand and the dealer network in South Africa.

“The Strada has proved its capacity to lead the market in countries such as Brazil,” explains Giorgio Gorelli, managing director of Fiat Auto South Africa.

“Locally, the Strada will prove an extremely important player in the light commercial vehicle sector, bringing cutting-edge European technology and processes to this segment.

“While building a separate new identity for Fiat’s commercial vehicle range, the Strada will also lead the way by offering exceptional reliability, low running costs as well as easy servicing and maintenance, particularly in the case of the turbodiesel engine,” Gorelli concludes.

One of the greatest strengths of the Strada is a large and practical load box that is a full 1770mm in length and 1350mm wide. With a useful 1090mm between wheel arches, and a very competitive load rating of 705kg, the Strada is credited with a 1100 litre capacity, making it a very attractive choice for load-lugging roles.