Istanbul Motor Show: world première of the Fiat Ægea project

 

  • Conceived from the outset as a three box sedan, it combines harmony and stylistic balance with a highly efficient use of space.
  • Italian style and “made in Fiat” technology for a global vehicle, designed in Italy by the FCA Style Centre, developed together with Tofaş RD in Turkey, and manufactured in the Tofaş plant in Bursa, one of the most innovative industrial sites in the world as proven by its Gold Medal awarded by World Class Manufacturing.
  • Hence the name of the project – Fiat Ægea – pays tribute to Turkey, which has always played a strategic role for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and represents a symbolic bridge between East and West.
  • On sale from November in Turkey, it will gradually reach over 40 countries of the EMEA region.

 

A global model for a global brand: Fiat presents its new Compact Sedan, designed in Italy at the FCA Style Centre, developed in Turkey together with Tofaş RD and manufactured in the Bursa plant to be sold in over 40 countries of the EMEA area. Hence the name of the project – Fiat Ægea – which pays tribute to Turkey which has always played a strategic role for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and represents a symbolic bridge between East and West.

 

For its début, the brand has chosen the Istanbul Motor Show, thus reiterating the importance the Turkish market holds within FCA strategies and sealing the equal share joint venture first begun in 1968 between what was then the Fiat Group and Koç Holding.

 

It stands to reason that FCA should assign a primary role to this model with which it aims to increase its presence in the EMEA region, as well as reinforcing its unrivalled leadership in the Compact Sedan segment in Turkey, thanks to its excellent interior roominess and load capacity, a very complete range and a style that allows no compromises.

 

The new Fiat model comes into the world as a unique combination of comfort, efficiency and technology. With the added touch of the exclusive Italian design that delivers a quality project with the proportions of a pure and powerful sedan.

 

The car will be produced in Turkey in the Tofaş plant in Bursa – one of the best industrial automotive sites in the world as proven by the awarding of the Gold Medal according to the assessment of World Class Manufacturing – and sold at first in Turkey, from next November, and then gradually in the other countries of the EMEA region.

 

Italian style

Designed in Italy at the FCA Style Centre and developed together with Tofaş RD, one of FCA’s largest research and development centres, the Fiat Ægea project was conceived from the outset as a completely new three volume sedan, created by a team of over 2000 people, who worked on the project during its three year development period.

 

Often Sedan vehicles are a spin off of the hatchback with a third volume added, which can lead to overall shapes that are not always coherent. The new Fiat car, on the other hand, was “Born to be a Sedan” and therefore features a design project that integrates the various sections by means of natural flowing lines which create a real, uncompromised, vigorous compact sedan.

 

Seen from the side, a distinctive line runs from the headlights to the rear light clusters and the glazing creates a dynamic appearance conferring an idea of airiness and ample access spaces for driver and passengers. Exclusive Italian style is finely expressed in the rear where the harmoniously proportioned third box hosts bright light cluster surrounds. The front end is characterised by a captivatingly shapely bonnet with central ribbing stretching up to the roof to create a continuous line. Similarly, the grille is a single element with the light clusters. Intercalated chrome-effect accents which form an original, unmistakable graphic pattern on which the Fiat logo is proudly sported.

 

Top in class liveability and load capacity

A perfect marriage of beauty and function, the new Fiat Ægea project knowingly brings together great load capacity and compact dimensions of a sedan 4 and half metres long, 178 centimetres wide and 148 cm high with a wheelbase of 264 cm that heightens its excellent interior space. All this is confirmed by the very appreciable size of the passenger compartment, large enough to seat 5 well built passengers comfortably with a load capacity of over 510 litres.

 

Reliable and fuel-efficient engines

The new Fiat car offers a wide range of power units, all reliable, high performing and economical in terms of fuel consumption and emissions – two Multijet II turbodiesel engines and two petrol ones, with manual or automatic transmission – with power ratings of between 95 and 120 HP. It is also worth noting that the diesel engines are particularly fuel-efficient: less than 4 litres of diesel fuel for 100 km, comparable to that of a city car like Fiat Panda.

 

Uconnect TM: state-of-the-art technology

In the true Fiat style, the new sedan is provided with a number of ingenious solutions that improve the life of both the driver and the passengers. The proof of this lies in the many standard features and the availability of the Uconnect TM system equipped with a 5″ colour touch screen, a hands-free Bluetooth system, audio streaming, text reader and voice recognition, AUX and USB ports with iPod integration, steering wheel controls and, on request, a rear parking camera and TomTom sat nav.

 

Tofaş, a world famous manufacturing centre

The new Fiat Compact Sedan will see the light at the Bursa site where for the past half century Fiat has been building its cars and commercial Fiat Professional vehicles. Stretching over a surface area of 934,000 square metres and with an annual production capacity of 400,000 units, the plant currently produces vehicles for the Turkish market and large volume Fiat models for export: these include the Linea, the Qubo, the New Doblò, the Fiorino and the Doblò Cargo.

 

The Tofaş company employs as many as 6,500 staff, has about 2,000 supplier companies and a distribution network that boasts about 120 sales outlets and 140 service centres in Turkey. A paragon of excellence therefore, that is currently the sixth largest company in the country and one of the first three companies in Turkey in terms of its investments in research and development, besides being one of the market leaders with an 11.6% share of the car and commercial vehicle market.

 

Turin 21 May 2015