What's common between the Panda, 500 X, Viaggio and Doblo? Well, most of you would have guessed it but for those who didn't, these are successful Fiat cars that never made it to India. Its a pity as each of them could have made it really big in the Indian market, if priced, positioned and marketed right.
The Aegea, Fiat's latest model that was unveiled in Turkey a few weeks back, might unfortunately be heading in the same direction already. Fiat India, as usual, would take ages to get this here by which time the competition would have taken the game far ahead. That would be a shame as the Aegea is all that Fiat needs to turn its fortunes around in the Indian market and much more. Just look at it, we are not getting carried over here! As they often do, the Italians have got the design, styling and proportions spot on yet again. Here is a mid-size sedan that not just adds a boot onto a hatchback or has its boot chopped off to get to a certain length. Designed to be a sedan from grounds up, the Aegea looks striking and elegant at the same time.
Look at the grille, for instance. Featuring details that appear to be inspired by a German luxury hatchback we know, it adds a lot of drama to the Aegea's front. The drama continues all the way to the rear where the unique taillights are sure to carve an identity of their own. The silhouette is amongst the most beautiful to have come out in recent times. The interiors are stylish and appear to be well-made with flowing contours that blend well with Aegea's external design. An array of buttons underlining the center air vents and the climate control buttons stacked in a triple circular layout just below them look particularly nice. With a wheelbase of 2640 mm, the Aegea can be expected to be more spacious than the Linea that we have in India.
A design as appealing as this, powered by a combination of punchy T-Jet and frugal Multijet engines, with that near-perfect ride and handling balance that Fiats are known for is the perfect base using which Fiat could stage a comeback of sorts. All it has to do is bring the Aegea here as soon as it goes on sale internationally and, crucially, tidy up its sales and servicing operations. But then, who are we to plan all that? Is the powers that be at Fiat even trying to read our minds? They better do, for their own sake!
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