Fiat India President and CEO, Rajeev Kapoor outlined this week the timescale of new Fiat model introductions to the local market, as well as revealing that the Palio Stile model (above) will become available in CNG format.

Fiat India President and CEO, Rajeev Kapoor outlined this week the timescale of new Fiat model introductions to the local market, as well as revealing that the Palio Stile model will become available in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) format. "We will launch the CNG variant of the Palio by early next year," Kapoor told reporters.

The long-running B-segment Palio hatchback has been the first model out of the blocks in Fiat's brand new strategy for making an impact in the Indian market; its plans are now being managed in a wide ranging manufacturing and retailing joint venture with local carmaker Tata Motors. Freshened up inside and out the revised Palio is marketed as the Palio Stile locally, and the latest version was presented in the spring. Its tried and tested petrol engine range has been complemented by the recent arrival of the award-winning 1.3 Multijet 16v turbodiesel as a powerplant option.

The next model to arrive in Fiat's Indian showrooms will be the Car of the Year award winning Fiat 500 which will be imported into the country in Completely Built Unit (CBU) format and sold in the major cities targeted as a fashion item and hence will come with a premium price tag.

The Linea 3-box saloon will arrive in September and be manufactured alongside the Palio Stile at the joint Fiat-Tata factory at Ranjangaon, while the Grande Punto hatchback is set to hit the Indian showrooms early next year. The Grande Punto, which will become the third model to be built locally, will come with a higher price tag that its B-segment rivals on the local market. "The Grande Punto is bigger than other cars in its segment so there will be a price differential," said Mr Kapoor.

While Fiat India is planning to unveil the locally assembled Linea in September, the Grande Punto is expected to be rolled out early next year with its main segment rivals being the Maruti Swift, Hyundai Getz and GM U-VA. Kapoor didn't reveal any pricing, but the cheapest entry-level version of its trio of rivals is the Swift, which starts at around Rs 4 lakh 'on the road'.