Fiat may launch a crossover in India next year according to a report from the Business Standard. The report quotes a source from the company who says that the crossover will be launched along with the two Jeep branded SUVs. While the report does not specify what the crossover is, we believe that it will be the 500X. It is also likely that once the 500X is launched in India, we will get a clearer picture of what Jeep’s mini SUV will be like in production form.
The report says that the crossover, a.k.a as the Fiat B-SUV, will be locally made at Fiat’s Ranjangaon facility that it currently shares with Tata Motors. However, there is no clarity on whether this will be local assembly or full manufacturing of the vehicle. The 500X for the Indian market is expected to make use of the same engine and gearbox as the Punto hatchback.
The Crossover segment is expected to be one of the fastest growing segments in the global markets over the next few years and it seems that everyone wants a share of the pie. Fiat, who currently sells only the Linea and Punto in India, are likely to benefit from the launch of the 500X in terms of volumes.
The 500X is expected to be joined by the Linea, Punto facelifts as well as the Jeep and Abarth branded cars by the middle of next year.
