The Fiat Linea has made its debut at the Istanbul Auto Show this week - on one of the show's biggest stands the exciting new C-segment saloon which has been developed and built in Turkey, has already made a huge impact with visitors. The Fiat Linea now ushers in a new era of stylish, roomy, comfortable and affordable saloons, drawing much of its visual inspiration from the very successful Grande Punto model, and providing a welcome fresh interpretation to the traditional "three box" saloon car theme.

Fiat is represented at the Istanbul Auto Show and in Turkey by Tofas, its joint venture operation with Koç Holdings, one of the nation's biggest and most diverse industrial conglomerates, and a company with ambitions to match Fiat's own. The Linea has made its world debut in Istanbul to reflect the fact that it has been developed by Tofas, the first time that the company has played a leading role in bringing a Fiat model to the market. The Linea has global pretensions, as well as at the Bursa plant (initial annual production of 60,000 per year) it will be assembled in Russia (by Severstal Auto) and in Brazil (at Betim) from next year. It will also arrive swiftly in Europe, being rolled out across the Eastern European markets, while France, Germany and of course Italy are all earmarked for the new car.

The car has been styled by Fiat Centro Stile and its roomy internal characteristics are complemented by excellent external dimensions which set it at the very top of its segment: it is 4.56 metres long, 1.73 m wide, 1.5 m tall and comes with a wheelbase of 2.6 m, in addition to having a luggage compartment boasting an impressive 500 litre capacity.
 

Fiat is emphasizing its inherent brand values at the Istanbul Auto Show, which is being held from 2nd-12th November at Istanbul’s spacious and modern CNR Expo Center. Amid dramatic décor the brand is staged in Hall 5, over space of 1,566 m2, where visitors are able to discover the perfection of Italian design, along with the sophisticated technology and high environmental sensitivity of the Fiat product range. The simple and geometric lines of the Fiat display, the walls and floors of the stand, as well as the staff uniforms, being dominated by white, are a crowning glory to the design and look of the vehicles on show, combining a visually impressive, youthful, dynamic, sporty presentation with a zesty and outgoing Italian style.

Vehicles on display on the Fiat stand alongside the centrepiece Linea model are made up of the Grande Punto (5-door 1.4 Starjet 1.6V Emotion); Grande Punto (5-door 1.3 MJ 90 HP Emotion MTA); Grande Punto (3-door 1.3 Multijet 75 HP Dynamic); Sedici - 1.6 16V (4x2 Auto Emotion); Sedici - 1.6 16V (4x4 Manual Dynamic); the locally-built Doblò, the version on shown being CNG powered; the Panda Monster and the Ducati Monster motorcycle alongside; Oltre Fiat; Grande Punto ESP Simulator; Grande Punto NFS Game Simulator; and Grande Punto S2000 Rally Car atop a Ducato Truckster.