The all-new Fiat Croma, which is known by the codename 'New Large', and due early next year, has broken cover in this official image.

This important new model from the Italian carmaker, and styled by the legendary designer Gioretto Giugiaro, will be publicly revealed for the very first time at prestigious 75th Geneva Salon, which takes place in Switzerland in less than three months time.

Like its fondly-remembered Croma namesake, which in its day was a popular and successful selling car, that remained in full production for a full eleven years after its launch, the new model also boasts four doors, and like the original model, it utilises a distinctive, but sharper, hatchback arrangement.

Giugiaro professed himself keen to create a market entrant that would cleverly combine all the attributes of a saloon, hatchback, stationwagon and multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), in a car that would be both quietly practical and highly innovative.

In the 'New Large' Fiat are now confident that they have a new car which can fully recreate, and further enhance, all the success that was associated with first edition of the Croma name.

As Fiat continue to press ahead with their ambitious revival plans, bringing the 'New Large' to the market as quickly as possible is seen an important step. Along with the next-generation Punto, the new Croma will now form a cornerstone of their new model introduction policy during 2005.

The new Fiat Croma, which is still referred to by its codename 'New Large', has now been under development for a number of years, after the project suffered a series of false starts.
 

The 'New Large' project was previously sent back to the drawing board by Gianni Coda when he was he elevated to run the Fiat 'Business Unit' two years ago, as he expressed himself unhappy with the overall standards that the project was achieving.

Now, with the influence of the legendary design master Giugiaro embedded into the programme, the new Croma is set to be a highly worthy successor, and as the development programme winds to a conclusion, virtually undisguised cars have recently been seen out testing.

The original Fiat Croma, which arrived on the market in 1985, was the product of a four way project which also involved Sweden's Saab, as well as Lancia, and Alfa Romeo, which at that point was not a Fiat Group brand. All four models went on to achieve excellent marketplace success.

However, when Saab launched their replacement, the 9-5, they chose to use instead a platform from their American parent company, GM. This led Fiat, without the cash to develop their own replacement, down the path of beefing-up the Bravo/Brava theme, creating a compromise, the mid-size Marea and Marea Weekend.

Now nearly a decade after the original Croma finally ceased production, Fiat will return to this market segment. It is relatively uncrowded class, and the innovative 'New Croma' should get the chance to amply able to prove itself as a genuine contender.