Fiat to launch the facelifted Linea on March 4

Fiat has announced that the facelifted Linea, which was unveiled at the Delhi Auto Expo, last month, will be launched on March 4. Earlier this week, Fiat started accepting the bookings of the sedan for a token of Rs 25,000. While the facelifted car will replace the current Linea car in the Italian manufacturer’s lineup, it will continue to sell the current generation car as the Linea Classic in a lower price bracket.

Being just a facelift, the new Linea continues to use the current car’s platform with cosmetic changes on the outside and inside. Styling updates in front of the car include a restyled chrome grille, bumpers and new fog lamps. The rear houses a restyled bumper and the number plate has been moved up to the bootlid. The Linea also gets a new set of alloy wheels while the wing mirrors now integrate the turn indicators. 

Inside, the changes are more pronounced as the car gets a more premium two-tone dashboard. The centre console has been redesigned and integrates a new audio system with Bluetooth support. Storage space has been improved with the addition of cubby holes and the A/C vents have been restyled. The instrument cluster gets chrome rings to give it a more upmarket feel.

Engine options are expected to be carried over from the current car though the naturally aspirated 1.4-litre petrol engine has been discontinued. The car will now be offered only with the 1.4-litre T-Jet petrol and the 1.3-litre Multijet diesel. While the former produces 112bhp and 207Nm of torque, the later produces 75bhp and 197Nm of torque. Both engines will send power to the front wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox.

Since it was launched, Fiat has been struggling to capture a big market share in the competitive C-Segment with cars like Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Vento, Maruti SX4, Renault Scala and the Ford Fiesta. The Linea is a decent car in terms of features and drivability and the facelift gives it a more premium feel. Owing to the additional features, the prices of the car will go up marginally  and is expected to be priced Rs 7.64 lakh onwards.

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