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Fiat has kept details of the B-segment minivan tightly
under wraps, but some details have nevertheless leaked
out. Amongst them is the length, at 4.1-4.25 metres,
while according to Ferarra it will “probably” feature
the new fuel-efficient 900cc two-cylinder TwinAir
engine. Styling direction has been drawn from its
successful smaller sister, the 500. Image:
Quattroruote magazine has offered its
interpretation of the design of the Ellezero. |
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Fiat’s
Serbian chief has claimed the new 5/7 seat minivan
project is progressing and that the first test ‘mules’
are set to hit the roads before the end of the year,
with the vehicle likely to debut in the showrooms next May or June. Known
so far as Ellezero (a pun on its market segment, ‘L0’),
the new minivan will replace the ageing Fiat Idea and
discontinued Multipla with 5- and 7-seat versions
respectively. It will also plug the gap that will be
left by the demise of Lancia’s Musa.
Fiat Automobili Srbija CEO Antonio Cesare Ferrara stated
that the new minivan will be targeted at European
markets, as well as at Russia. Set up in 2008, Fiat
Automobili Srbija is a joint venture with a part
interest held by the Serbian state, but has struggled to
kick into life partly as a result of the economic
reshuffle enacted three years ago by the global
financial crisis.
Curiously, Ferrara only saw the possibility of Ellezero
going to the U.S. in the future. This represents a sharp
turnaround in plans, as the new Stateside Fiat network
was expecting it to arrive in their showrooms next year
(according to Fiat/Chrysler investor presentations)
alongside the 500 to expand what is currently a
one-model range. “In a later stage it may also be
offered in the United States, but primarily [it is
intended for] Europe,” Ferrara told reporters in
Kragujevac, according to Bloomberg. Already
reeling from the chaotic launch of the Fiat 500 and
still digesting news that Alfa Romeo’s North American
re-entry has been put back once again, the dealers will
have to soldier on with just one model to sustain
themselves if Ferrara is correct.
Fiat has kept details of the B-segment minivan tightly
under wraps, but some details have nevertheless leaked
out. Amongst them is the length, at 4.1-4.25 metres,
while according to Ferarra it will “probably” feature
the new fuel-efficient 900cc two-cylinder TwinAir
engine. Styling direction has been drawn from its
successful smaller sister, the 500. It's world debut is
set for the Geneva Motor Show next March.
Ferrara claimed that 850 million euros will have been
invested in the rundown plant at Kragujevac in Serbia by
the end of this year and, quoted Bloomberg,
“state-of-the art production equipment” from Italy,
Germany and Japan was now being installed.
In true Fiat style, Ferrara hopes that production of the
Ellezero will hit 250,000 units a year, but added, more
realistically, that “the actual volume will, of course,
depend on demand.” He was also quoted as claiming that
Fiat might consider building “another new model” in
Serbia.
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