Fiat Linea 1.6 diesel likely for India

The Fiat Linea has been one of the rare successes in India from Fiat India – so much so that the car is believed to have turned around the fortunes of the embattled car company.

The Linea sedans have been applauded for their comfortable interiors and classy style. And the length, which makes you think about it as a premium sedan – which it isn’t. Hhere is our original Fiat Linea India launch story.

Fiat Linea photo: 1.6 liter version coming soon?

Anyway, now rumours are trickling in that a 1.6 liter diesel version of the Fiat Linea have been caught testing. Customers liked the Fiat Linea, the solid build quality, interiors and many plonked down the moolah, but there was one grip – the car was underpowered. Not by much, but it certainly was.  Especially considering that the comparison was with the excellent all-new Honda City which offerd 118 bhp.

Fiat India seems to have decided that it is better to listen to the voice of the consumer when the going is good, and has been quick to explore a 1.6 liter diesel engine for the Linea. Good thinking, and quick thinking.

It is believed that the new 1.6 engine is a 4 Cylinder 16 valve engine for the Fiat Linea which comes in two guises – a turbocharged 105 bhp version and a 120 bhp with VGT and more than 300 nm of torque. It is also said that it can equal the fuel efficiency of the 1.3 JTD engine currently powers the existing model of the Fiat Linea.

With the Linea registering good sales, Fiat India Automobile has recorded sales of 1,712 units in January this year. It has come as a pleasant surprise for the company that of these as many as 1,512 units were of the newly launched Fiat Linea. Fiat India, which made its foray into the C-segment, has successfully made it an occasion to raise the bar for sedans currently on the Indian roads.

In other news, Fiat will launch its Grande Punto, Bravo and a new, face-lifted version of the Palio (possibly) in 2009. Fiat indeed has its hands full.