Auto Expo 2016: Fiat unveils Avventura Urban Cross concept

[NikilSJ]

Fiat India unveiled the Avventura Urban Cross concept at the 2016 Auto Expo. The concept car looks exactly like the Punto Avventura expect for the coloured cladding instead of the black ones you find on the standard Avventura and the absence of the spare wheel on the bootlid.

The concept was shod in good looking 17-inch wheels and also got a refreshed LED tail lamp cluster. The car has multiple roof rails for long journeys and turn indicators on the ORVM.

It also gets a premium red-coloured leather wrapped in interior. The car will be aimed at, I guess, the Fiat enthusiast who wants the practicality of the Avventura but not the rugged looks. If launched, I presume the Urban Cross could be priced above the standard Avventura.

[Arjun]

The leather wrapped interiors look great. Also, removing the spare wheel from the back was a good decision, as the two step boot opening could be a pain sometimes.
The boot opening was irritating in tight parking spaces , and also in malls where we need to open to boot for checking.

[NikilSJ]

Arjun the interiors have improved considerably. I really like the red leather wrap with double stitching. It looks almost like what Maserati would do!

[NikilSJ]

The Fiat Avventura Urban Cross was spotted testing. Pictures of the same were posted on Indian Autos Blogs' website. From the looks of it, the Urban Cross just looks like a norman Avventura sans the spare tyre mounted on the tailgate. The car caught testing has lost most of the flashy bits that made the concept so appealing. Gone are the weird bug-like headlamps and grille with chrome elements. Instead, the production version is expected to carry forward the same headlamps and grille from the Avventura.

The roof rails with integrated LED DRLs have also been replaced with the conventional units from the Avventura. It does not look so appealing any more does it. Why has been wasting money developing a new version of a car that is bang identical to the Avventura (except for the annoying tailgate mounted spare wheels that is)? It's high time they started focussing on bringing more modern and better products to the country rather than just being an engine supplier and acting like a car modifier.
I really hope Fiat retains the sexy interior that the concept car came with, especially that red leather-clad centre console and seats. Reports suggest that the Urban Cross will only be launched with the 1.4-litre T-Jet turbocharged petrol engine that produces 140PS of power and 210Nm of peak torque between 2,000 and 4,000rpm. No new gearboxes on offer though, so you will have to live with the slushy 5-speed unit as before.

Pic courtesy: IndianAutosBlog.Com

[JOY_MRC]

NikilSJ So again disappointing news, refreshing the same thing over and over and calling it brand new. My understanding goes like this. Employee @ FIAT: Sir, other crossovers( i20 Active, Cross Polo, Etios Cross etc) don't have a spare wheel on the boot and the Avventura's latch is reported difficult to use by customers. Boss: Let's remove the spare but call it a brand new model, WINK. We should also have new car launch like others. Wait..Lets call it something radical than Punto Cross, Brainstorm with others and get me a cool 😎 yet unusual name for the car. Get to it and Take all the time you need... 6 months later... Employee @ FIAT: Sir, Its ready and came out great. The radical, brand new 'Punto Urban Cross' Boss: Excellent work people.. No one would have guessed.Put it into production. This will be a super hit. FIN. There is the Punto pure, evo, abarth, avventura, Urban cross. The dealership wont have enough space even to display them all. Abarth aside all similar underneath. Needless to say, This is not going to end well for FIAT.

[Roshun]

"Originally posted by JOY MRC"
Employee @ FIAT: Sir, Its ready and came out great. The radical, brand new 'Punto Urban Cross'
Boss: Excellent work people.. No one would have guessed.Put it into production. This will be a super hit.
FIN.
There is the Punto pure, evo, abarth, avventura, Urban cross. The dealership wont have enough space even to display them all. Abarth aside all similar underneath. Needless to say, This is not going to end well for FIAT.

The company has been rehashing the Punto and Linea since 2008-2009. It has only these two mainstream products, ever since the Uno and Palio were discontinued. The Fiat 500 is not a volume seller. It has to do something to keep the products fresh, hence these different derivatives of these two cars.

[NikilSJ]

"Originally posted by JOY MRC" NikilSJ So again disappointing news, refreshing the same thing over and over and calling it brand new. My understanding goes like this. Employee @ FIAT: Sir, other crossovers( i20 Active, Cross Polo, Etios Cross etc) don't have a spare wheel on the boot and the Avventura's latch is reported difficult to use by customers. Boss: Let's remove the spare but call it a brand new model, WINK. We should also have new car launch like others. Wait..Lets call it something radical than Punto Cross, Brainstorm with others and get me a cool 😎 yet unusual name for the car. Get to it and Take all the time you need... 6 months later... Employee @ FIAT: Sir, Its ready and came out great. The radical, brand new 'Punto Urban Cross' Boss: Excellent work people.. No one would have guessed.Put it into production. This will be a super hit. FIN. There is the Punto pure, evo, abarth, avventura, Urban cross. The dealership wont have enough space even to display them all. Abarth aside all similar underneath. Needless to say, This is not going to end well for FIAT.

Hahaha. Fiat needs to do something drastic soon enough if they want to continue to survive in our country. If they don't by 2018, I think they will be the only manufacturer other than Maruti to keep selling the same car in different iterations for a decade! I wonder why the company is behaving like this. It is so annoying especially for people who love Fiats like Stig-Wannabe and me.

[Jijo_Malayil]

Bookings for Fiat Urban Cross (Aventura without the tailgate-mounted spare wheel), is now open for Rs 21,000. I think it is enough said about this strange hatchback/crossover. read the comments above for more details/disappointment

[Arjun]

JijoMalayil Fiat has become like the opposition party in India. They hardly are selling anything (little seats), still have control in some states(engine sales) and they try to sell us the same thing with different names(the G factor). Both have some good products (Dr.S T vs Abarth) but the audience targeted is usually wrong. Similarly, every move and decision has always been funny. The Jeep pricing, the response to the Abarth Punto and now this. When Fiat has a great lineup of cars available in Europe which have won multiple awards, they still keep on sticking on the same two cars with different names. The Punto is a great car, no doubt about that. But they have been trying to sell the same thing for too long. The times have changed and people are looking for something entirely new. Until you understand what the market wants, it is going to be a tough road ahead. But we would love to have more models coming and not selling so that we remain entertained about what not to do.

[Arvind Fluidic]

As stated above, Fiat urban cross bookings are being accepted for Rs.21,000, its specifications are also revealed ahead of its expected launch this festive season.. The Fiat Urban Cross’s engine lineup will include the 1.4L T-Jet petrol engine that produces 140 PS/210 Nm of torque and a 1.3L Multijet turbodiesel engine with 93 PS/209 Nm of torque. The only transmission available is a 5-speed manual gearbox that sends power to the front wheels. The diesel-powered Urban Cross will be available in two grades: Active & Dynamic, and the T-Jet Petrol variant comes in a single, well-equipped grade – Emotion. Some of the confirmed features include Touch screen AVN (Audio Video & Navigation) system, 16-inch alloys as standard across all variants, automatic climate control, steering mounted audio controls, dual Airbags and ABS with EBD. Imagel IAB.

[Roshun]

Arvind Fluidic
Fiat's model strategy in India boggles the mind. They have two models that they are selling (OK, three if you include the Fiat 500), and the keep rehashing and remixing them in some faint hope of these cars remaining current. The launch of the Avventura a couple of years ago gave them some hope that the crossover trend would help sell a few more cars based on the Punto body shell, but instead they ended up with quite a few issues with the design of the spare and boot.
So someone in Fiat goes back to the drawing board and says, "let's get rid of that spare and call it the Urban Cross". Lo and behold yet another model is born on the same platform! Bookings are open, but I would really like to see what volumes (if any) this would bring. https://www.zigwheels.com/news-featu...ommence/26349/ Sorry for sounding like a cynic, but I think some big revamp is needed if Fiat is to start selling cars in India. Otherwise, the company should just stay content with selling engines - a business arm which is actually highly profitable for it.

[kaiserketkar]

[QUOTE_NODE]"Originally posted by Roshun" Sorry for sounding like a cynic, but I think some big revamp is needed if Fiat is to start selling cars in India. Otherwise, the company should just stay content with selling engines - a business arm which is actually highly profitable for it. [/QUOTE_NODE] And what makes you think Fiat would want to start selling cars in India?! :P They're content being a component manufacturer. Stop forcing them to be something they don't want to! I wonder how Fiat Chrysler is OK with FIAL [or should that be FAIL] posting such poor sales figures. Or does FCA also have a similar attitude for other markets? Another question is does FIAL have access to the necessary periodic upgrades and additions in terms of models from FCA, or do they get cut off at that level? Does their erstwhile partnership with Tata Motors have anything to do with their reluctance to infuse fresh technology into the Indian market?

[JOY_MRC]

Fiat has finally launched the Avventura Urban Cross, at prices starting from Rs. 6.85 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) to Rs. 9.85 lakh for the top end model. Deliveries will begin from October 1, 2016.

It will be available in both petrol and diesel variants. The Urban Cross is based on the Avventura = which is a crossover based on the Punto hatchback. The new model ditches the tailgate-mounted spare wheel seen on the Avventura. Fiat has also dropped a lot of the design elements showcased on the Urban Cross concept in the Auto Expo. The production version car doesn't get the LED DRL's on headlights, Chrome detailing on the front grille, or the 17-inch alloys. The car gets extensive black plastic cladding in the car's lower panels, 16-inch alloy wheels, a roof spoiler, and roof rails. An "Abarth" variant is also on offer, which adds Scorpion alloy wheels and Abarth brandings all over the car like with the Abarth Punto and Avventura Abarth. Speaking of interiors, the Avventura Urban Cross gets a 5-inch touchscreen infotainment system that features Bluetooth, USB, and AUX connectivity, and also supports navigation. The same unit is now available on the Linea and Punto hatchback.

Fiat is also offering a designer package with 'Burgundy interiors' as an option on the Dynamic variant (Diesel) and Emotion (Petrol) variant. This package is on offer for a limited period, and will also include colour-coordinated door inserts, piano finish door armrests and seats with badging. The Diesel variant is powered by the familiar 1.3L, 4-cylinder MultiJet engine at a higher tune of 93 PS and is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. It will be available with two variants - Active and Dynamic. The Urban Cross petrol is the "Powered by Abarth" version equipped with a 1.4L, 4-cylinder T-Jet petrol engine, which is good for 140 PS. This unit is also mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The Urban Cross Petrol is available only in the top-end Emotion trim. The Official prices for Fiat Avventura Urban Cross in Delhi, are:

• Diesel Active - Rs. 6.85 lakh
• Diesel Dynamic - Rs. 7.45 lakh
• Petrol Emotion Powered by Abarth - Rs. 9.85 lakh

Source - auto.ndtv

[Jijo_Malayil]

Will the new Urban Cross revive the Fiat fortunes in India? I'm a little skeptical. Check out this review done by Overdrive. [youtube_video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1uHVk2zuuQ[/youtube_video]

[NikilSJ]

Fiat has managed to sort out some of the niggles that customers faced with the Avventura like the spare wheel with the idiotic unlocking mechanism for the spare wheel that was mounted behind the tailgate and a better interior whcih now also features a touchscreen ICE. But I think it is a little bit too late for the Punto. By now, even loyal Fiat customers are fed up with the same model being rehashed year after year. But like kaiserketkar said, the Italians are least interested in bringing new products and instead just survive on selling their engines in the country. Also, it is quite dissapointing that they have skimped on most of the features that they showed at the Auto Expo. I love those Burgundy interior though - looks premium like a cheaper Maserati or something. However strongly I feel that this car isn't enough to revive Fiat's fortunes, I really hope it sells enough to keep Fiat in the country.