Fiat recently teased the premium hatchback Argo in a video displaying its styling bits. However, now the company has put out official pictures for the same. It is positioned above the Uno and the Palio in the Brazilian market. Fiat designed, and will develop the vehicle in their plant at Betim for the South American markets.
Brazilian news outlets are calling the Argo as the replacement for the Punto, which went out of production in January 2017. The Argo looks more toned than the bulkier Punto. The front of the car has a sporty bumper with red highlights and chiselled air ducts on the sides. The headlamp assembly is equipped with a sharp LED day time running light. The wheel rims are large, measuring 17inches across and the silhouette reflects its stretched shoulder lines. The rear bumper of the Argo is sharper and doubles up as a diffuser, giving the car a sporty stance.
The sporty bits and pieces in the styling of the Argo hint at an Abarth version of the car. The power plant of the vehicle isn’t disclosed yet but the car is expected to have both petrol and diesel engines on offer. The petrol variant will be powered by Fiat’s ‘FireFly’ series of engine -1.0-liter turbo petrol and 1.3-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine. The former produces 77bhp and the latter one produces 109bhp, both offered with a five speed manual gearbox. The diesel plant is expected to be a 1.8-litre E.torQ engine producing 139bhp.
There is no word of the vehicle being launched for the European market but it is being speculated that the Argo may be headed for the Indian market too, as a replacement for the Punto Evo. If launched here, the Argo will compete against the Maruti Suzuki Baleno, the Volkswagen Polo, the Hyundai Elite i20, the Honda Jazz and the Toyota Etios Liva. If the manufacturer considers the Argo for Indian market, the drive train on offer will be the same as one offered now; 1.2-litre petrol with F.I.R.E technology and the 1.3-litre Multijet diesel.
