Last month Fiat Automoveis Brasil revealed the name of the new sedan as the ‘Cronos’ after an online marketing initiative – which took place simultaneously in Brazil and Argentina – that allowed members of the public to try to guess the name of the anticipated new car.

The name was revealed by using humorous memes centered around the Uno Mille, equipped with ladders, being presented as the ‘world’s fastest car’ in an imaginary race held at the ‘Mega Space’ racetrack in Belo Horizonte. Six Unos, all with ladders on the roof, resulted in a ‘space-time rupture’ that revealed the name of the god of time himself: Cronos. The Unos then gave way to the majority of the current models range –  Mobi, Toro and Argo – and letter-by-letter, the Cronos name was revealed.

The Cronos, codename X6S, is based on the platform of the new Argo – the B-segment hatchback which went into production back in June following its reveal two months earlier in May. Its design is the work of the FCA Design Center Latam. It replaced the Punto hatchback along with higher end Palio models. The Argo’s debut came after delays in completing the project that put it back by almost a year.

Now comes the sedan version and from the teaser video it appears clear that the front-end styling will be carried over as the clip shows the same shape of headlamps and internal features as well as the contours and creases of the Argo’s chunky bonnet.

The interior and trim levels of the well-received Argo will be carried over, so all attention is closely focused on the rear end of the sedan as the new features, including bootlid, will come aft of the B-pillars. In the teaser video the outer edges of the rear lights can be seen and they clearly don’t follow the overall forms introduced by the Argo, or indeed the Fiat Aegea, the equivalent sedan model built for the EMEA regions. Rather it shows hints of the distinctive Maserati rear light forms that have since been copied by FCA’s Alfa Romeo brand.

The Argo hatchback comes equipped with the 1.0-litre Firefly, 1.3-litre Firefly and 1.8-litre EtorQ Evo power units although the first option won’t be carried over to the new Cronos leaving it with two options. Transmissions offered will comprise of a 5-speed manual and 6-speed GSR automatic.

Engine start-stop system will be standard across the range while the Argo’s Traction Control (TC), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Hill Holder and ISOFIX seat brackets will be amongst optional equipment offered on higher specification Cronos models. The Cronos will also benefit from the improved construction technology of the Argo, which boasts a 7% increase in torsional rigidity and an 8% increase in flexural stiffness. Also coming to the Cronos will be Fiat’s 7-inch Uconnect multimedia system, keyless entry and electrochromic internal rearview mirror.

The Cronos will be assembled at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ factory at Córdoba in Argentina following a R$500 investment and it’s set to be exported to all the major Latin American markets, starting with Brazil. The Córdoba factory currently builds the Siena sedan and has been assembling this strategic B-segment car on and off since the plant first started production in 1996.

The Cronos caps a very busy time of renewal for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in Latin America and becomes the sixth new model added over the last two years, following the arrival in the showrooms of the Fiat Mobi, the Toro (pickup) and of course the Cronos’s hatchback sister model, the Argo, while the Italian-American carmaker has also starting assembling two new Jeep brand models for the region, the Renegade and Compass.

The Cronos will debut at the beginning of 2018, adhering to a Latin American tradition by Fiat that sees its B-segment hatchback models followed around six month later by the sedan version. These are the key volume models for Fiat in this region and the Cronos will be expected to rise to the top of this highly competitive segment. The ageing Siena’s sales have plummeted over the last three years and volumes have slumped by two thirds. The Siena’s latest major makeover came in 2012 when it was relaunched as the ‘Grand Siena’.

The new Cronos will also step in some of the market space occupied by the venerable C-segment Linea sedan which will notch up 10 years’ worth of production in Brazil during 2018.

The new model’s biggest rival in the showrooms is expected to be the recently announced VW Virtus (Polo sedan) while the Ford Ka+ (which arrived on the market in Brazil in two years ago), the Chevrolet Prisma (the sedan version of the Onix hatchback, which debuted locally in 2013) and the Hyundai HB20S (introduced in Brazil during 2012) will all be targets. All four models of these are assembled in Brazil. Also in the frame as a strong future rival will be the new Toyota Yaris ATIV.