Prototypes of the soon-to-be facelifted Chinese-built Fiat Siena model (codenamed Project 311) have recently been caught testing out testing, revealing the bigger, upmarket image that will come with the restructured model. Assembled by Nanjing Fiat Automobile Co Ltd, a 50-50 joint venture between Fiat Auto and its partner in China, the Nanjing Automobile Group, the Siena, which is the sedan member of the 'World Car' family, is set to take up a new market position when it shortly receives its first Chinese market-targeted facelift.

After several years of sluggish sales for Nanjing Fiat Automobile Co Ltd in China, which have fallen well short of initial project projection's, major restructuring of the joint venture have recently been implemented, which aim to build on a promising 2005 performance when sales rose by 37 pct year-on-year. Central to this restructuring is the introduction of a larger version to the existing Siena (Project 311). Nanjing Fiat have identified that Chinese buyers demand a vehicle in this segment that is larger, better finished and more luxurious than the present model.
 

To achieve this aim the Siena's floorpan has been mildly stretched, while the styling has been re-worked to give the sedan a more imposing presence. At the front larger headlights, a new radiator grille cut with thick slats and a more bulbous, deeper front bumper and spoiler with prominent additional cut-outs and detailed styling around the new foglights add up to give the new model a much more imposing presence. At the rear a sharper bootlid, larger bumper and bigger tail-lights which wrap onto the top of the wings, all effectively combine to continue the model's new upmarket theme. Inside the Siena higher-quality materials will couple up to a much greater equipment specification to create a more luxurious cabin.