Almost two years after
its launch the Fiat Qubo has been given a detailed Model
Year 2011 upgrade that sees a list of small improvements being made
under the bonnet and in the cabin along new exterior colours
and improved content; the Qubo MY2011 has now been launched
onto the Italian market.
The Qubo aims to be a
cost-effective, spacious and practical "people carrier"
with distinctive styling and is based on the
Turkish-built Fiorino light commercial van and it has been
a steady hit in Italy with consumers: in
the "Multispace" class the Qubo quickly went to the top
of the best-sellers list and in its most recent month on
sale, July, it added 874 units, which was more than
double that managed by its closest rival, the similarly LCV-turned-people-carrier version of its Turkish-built
Fiat sister, the Doblò, which saw 429 registrations in
July. After the seven months of the year in Italy the
Qubo holds the top-position in the "Multispace" category
with 12,517, nearly three times that of the second
placed contender, which is once again the Doblò;
it has 4,361 registrations so far this year.
The Qubo's success in the showrooms in the first half of
the year though was mainly down to the methane-powered
version which now accounts for 7,598 registrations for
the year-to-date. This model was subject to very
generous Italian state incentives earlier this year
which saw customers queuing up to buy it, but since the
"eco incentive programme" dried up, the Qubo's sales
makeup has changed: last month the methane-powered Qubo
added just 180 units as returned demand for petrol and
diesel versions adjusted the sales mix.
It is the diesel
version in particular that now benefits under-the-bonnet from the Model
Year 2011 makeover as all the Qubo's engines now meet
Euro 5 standards and are fitted with the diesel
injection system, second-generation Multijet
engines featuring a DPF particulate filter, the
Bosch-sourced Start&Stop system and
cruise control. The range adds the 1.3 litre Multijet
with 75 CV that through its variable geometry turbo
optimises performance and energy and emits just 113 g/km
of CO2. Completing the engine line-up is the petrol 1.4
8v unit with 73 CV and the dual petrol/methane 1.4 8v
offering with 77 CV.
Inside the Qubo
MY2011's colours
have been renovated with a new black-finished dashboard
and on the range-topping Dynamic and Trekking versions
the centre console panel that houses the heater controls
and air vents now comes in a polish gloss black finish
(previously it was gray). There are new fabric colours for the Dynamic
level in either a new red or the gray drawn from the Trekking,
while for the Trekking version (which also has 15-inch
wheels) the new red is added to the existing gray. The
Qubo Model Year 2011 can also be specified with Blue&Me TomTom. There are three new body-colours: "Pimpante", "Esuberante
and "Fascinoso".
The Qubo range in the
Italian showrooms opens with the entry-level 1.4 8v 73CV
(152 g/km) Active level version at 13,200 euros while
the Active level of the "Natural Power" opens up the
methane-powered range at 16,700 euros. The cheapest
diesel on offer is the 1.3 Multijet 16v 75CV (113 g/km)
in Active trim at 15,550 euros. All the engines are to
Euro 5 specification while the Qubo's Italian range is
topped off by the 1.3 Multijet 16v 95CV Trekking which
costs 18,800 euros.
Fiat Qubo MY2011 range and
equipment pricing (Italian market)
