The freshly revealed Fiat Cronos small sedan takes most of its design inspiration from the Argo hatchback. The officially released images reveal that although the vehicle gets a contoured bonnet and sleek headlamps like the Argo hatch, the Cronos gets a distinctive bumper design, grille and crease lines. The vehicle will first be launched in South American markets before the end of 2017. Post launch, the vehicle will compete against the upcoming Volkswagen Virtus in the international market. Sometime later, the Cronos might be introduced in India as a replacement for the Linea.
The South-America spec model will be available in a 1.3-litre petrol engine that generates 107bhp of power and a 1.8-litre flex-fuel engine that generates 137bhp of power. The smaller engine comes mated to a five-speed manual transmission, while the bigger engine comes mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The international market might also get a 1.0-litre three-cylinder Firefly petrol engine which is also called as the GSE (Global Small Engine). If launched in India, the Cronos is expected to continue being powered by a 1.3-litre Multijet diesel and the 1.4-litre T-Jet petrol engine options. Although five-speed manual might be offered as standard, the vehicle might also get an optional automatic transmission.
The upcoming Fiat Cronos is expected to get most of the interior design elements from the Argo hatchback. The vehicle will get a large seven-inch infotainment system with a dual tone interior theme. The top spec model might also get faux leather upholstery. Reports indicate that the vehicle will offer a boot space of around 520 litres. As for safety, at the time of its debut in India, the Cronos might get standard equipment like dual front airbags and ABS with EBD. More details about the vehicle will be known on a later date. Post launch, the Fiat Cronos will compete against the likes of Honda City, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and the Hyundai Verna in India.
