Fiat has released an
initial close-up look at its ‘Fiat-ised’ Dodge Dart
sedan, which will debut at the Beijing International
Auto Show in ten days’ time. It marks the brand’s return
to producing cars in China as it takes yet another stab
at succeeding in the world’s biggest car market.
Viaggio (voyage
in English; its Chinese name, Fei Xiang, means
flying) is the first Fiat-Chrysler Group
twin project, as both Fiat and Dodge have tweaked this
C-segment sedan for their respective uses in different
world markets.
The new four-door,
five-seat Viaggio is thus based on the CUSW (Compact US
Wide) architecture, which also forms the basis of the
new Dodge Dart, recently presented at the Detroit Motor
Show in January. The CUSW architecture is, in turn,
derived from the Compact ‘C-Evo’ architecture originally
developed for the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.
At 4,679mm in length,
1,850mm in overall width and with a 2,708mm wheelbase,
the Viaggio’s overall dimensions are similar to the
Dart, albeit with slight increases in length (the Dart
is 4,670mm) and
wheelbase. Unlike its platform stablemates, for reasons
of cost the Viaggio ditches the platform’s multilink
rear suspension in favour of a simple beam arrangement.
Fiat has also announced
that the Viaggio won’t be getting the latest breed of
MultiAir engines, but will be equipped with the tried
and tested 1.4L T-Jet unit in both 120 hp and 150 hp
outputs. These will be matched up to either a 5-speed
manual transmission or the Dual Dry Clutch Transmission
(DDCT) developed by Fiat Powertrain.
Designed by the Fiat
Group Style Centre in Turin, the two images clearly show
the proportions of the Dart. The sides are untouched
between the new models, with the sole remit for
‘creative expression’ being the Viaggio’s new front and
rear clips. At the front, there is a new chrome-trimmed
grille which is the latest stab by Fiat at creating a
coherent identity for the brand, and reflects the look
which will also be seen on the forthcoming Fiat Linea
facelift. The outer headlight casing and a number of the
internal elements appear to have been carried over from
the Dart. At the rear, there is a new bootlid, with the
Dart's Americanised full-width light cluster dropped in
favour for two conventional light units (which use LEDs).
The registration plate also moves up from the bumper to
the bootlid.
The new Fiat sedan will
be the first car to be produced in the new GAC-Fiat
plant (which will adhere to ‘World Class Manufacturing’
standards) in Changsha, in the Hunan province. The first
cars, Fiat says, will be produced from July and will go
on sale in the third quarter of this year. Next year a
hatchback version of the Dart/Viaggio sedan is proposed
to appear. Details on this model remain unclear, but it
is possible this is a derivative of the mooted compact
Chrysler hatchback currently being designed for the US
market. Reports suggest a Fiat-badged version of this
model may appear in Europe, imported from China, as a
replacement for the current Bravo hatchback. If so, this
would be in place of CEO Sergio Marchionne’s previous
proposal to replace the Bravo with a model that aped the
fundamentals of Nissan’s Qashqai crossover.
The Viaggio will represent Fiat's first attempt at
Chinese production since its unsuccessful joint venture
with Nanjing Auto was terminated five years ago. Fiat
then tried to form a joint venture in China with
domestic carmaker Chery Automobile but this attempt
never got off the ground.
Also, at the forthcoming
Beijing International Auto Show, GAC-Fiat will be joined
by sister brands Jeep, Chrysler, Maserati and Ferrari to
furnish out a strong group presence in Luxury Hall E4.
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