For anyone who pines for a Fiat saloon, Fiat has something new.
Fiat will unveil their new Ægea saloon at the Istanbul motor show. The car is described as being designed from the outset as a saloon though the one photo they show at their website does not reveal the appearance of the rear three quarter which is unduly reticent, I would say. The name is a nod the Turkish input to the project and the fact it will be manufactured there. The car is supposed to be a stylistic balance between space efficiency and acceptable looks.
“No compromises” say Fiat about their car which is expected to carry on Fiat’s fight in a competitive segment in Turkey, which like a lot of regions outside Europe values the three-box format rather more than we do here in N Europe. Fiat have this to say “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.”
Among the statistics are the fact that the car has a 510 litre boot. It´s not a small car, being 4.5 metres long, about the same as a late 90s-early 00s BMW 3 series. The engine range features two Multijet II turbodiesel engines and two petrol ones, with manual or automatic transmission – with power ratings of between 95 and 120 HP. Fiat add “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.”
The EMEA area includes Europe but Fiat did not discuss launch dates for any particular markets there. I could imagine this being included in the southern Europe markets such as Spain and Italy where smaller saloons are still popular. The UK is less keen on this sector which means that if Fiat decided to give Britain a miss, the ROI will also be left out. They also do not mention if the car will be made in estate format.
Fiat’s last attempt at a European small saloon was the 1996 Marea. Fiat also have a Chinese-made saloon, the Viaggio (based on the Dodge Dart), which is sold in Brazil and which is 4.6 metres long.
Driven To Write 
autobild.de reported it will be sold in Germany after Geneva show 2016. And there will be an estate.
There ist a picture of the (rather uninspiring) tail as well.
http://www.autobild.de/artikel/fiat-aegea-2015-vorstellung-5770568.html
Autobild seemed to quite like it and it could be promising now I look at it more closely. If I had been more diligent I’d have checked how the Aegea related to the Viaggio.
Can anyone remember Daihatsu’s last saloon from about five years ago. Absolutely nobody wanted it. I wonder if the Fiat will do better.
You mean the Applause? A three-box-car with a large tallgate without sense.
In my neighborhood there was a Daihatsu-Suzuki-Dealer offering the same Applause for some years – than he stopped trying to sell Daihatsus and focused on Suzuki (the Offroaders were really popular).
Can’t remember any Daihatsu saloon.
You don’t confuse it with the Suzuki Kizashi, do you?
The predecessor is the Sedan-Version of the Bravo, the Fiat Linea. Very popular in Turkey, I remember a lot of Linea Taksi cars there ( and a lot of other olderTofas taksis).
I would not be surprised if Fiat was selling a lot more Lineas than Bravos. Here in Germany no one wanted to buy the Bravo, besides some few italian immigrants. The Bravo does not look better than the Grande Punto, was not really roomy or comfortable but really more expensive.
The new Aegea reminds me a lot to the Citroen Elysée, a car specially made for those markets too.
Ehm the Linea is actually based on the Grande Punto (with a stretched wheelbase) not the Bravo…
That’s excellent research. I could not for the life of me think of the Kizashi. I read one review – favourable- when it came out and in the meantime have seen more Bristols and Bentleys. I came across the Applause while searching for the Kizashi. Its “industrial design” style is much to my taste and I love loser cars. I like that it was a hatchback that looks like a saloon which I didn’t know about.
Don’t forget the Suzuki Baleno, folks. I had to look that one up! Luckily I had an article about it here a few months back.
I once experienced a strange hankering for the Fiat Marea in five cylinder guise. Thankfully, it passed.
They must be really, really cheap. You could also choose the Lancia Lybra with a 5-cylinder.
Aqui no Brasil o último sedan “médio” da Fiat foi o Linea. Atualmente tem o Cronos que é um compacto um pouco maior, ele é o sedan do Argo, estes vieram substituir a Linha Palio e Gran Siena. Não tem o prestígio de um médio.
Google translate:
Here in Brazil the last Fiat “medium” sedan was the Linea. Currently there is the Cronos which is a slightly larger compact, it is the sedan of the Argo, these came to replace the Palio Line and Gran Siena. It doesn’t have the prestige of a midfielder.
Panos: well spotted!