Fiat Announces UK Pricing for New Punto EVO

The facelifted Grande Punto, which has been renamed to Punto EVO, will begin arriving in Fiat's 170-strong UK dealer network in January 2010 with prices ranging from £10,995 for the base 1.4 8v Active to £15,295 the highly specified Eleganza 1.3 Multijet, the automaker announced today.

The Punto EVO will be available with a choice of four Euro 5 engines, all fitted with Start&Stop as standard, and five different trim levels – Active, Dynamic, GP, Eleganza and Sporting.

The engine range includes two petrols, a 1.4-liter with 105HP and a 1.4-liter Multiair unit with 135HP, plus two 1.3 MultiJet diesels with 75HP and 95HP.

The entry-level Active model includes ABS anti-lock brakes with EBD, driver, passenger and knee airbags, radio/CD/MP3 player, power steering, electric mirrors and Blue&Me infotainment.

The Dynamic trim level adds side and window airbags, leather steering wheel and air conditioning, while the Eleganza models get alloy wheels, cruise control and rear parking sensors as standard. The GP specification includes rear spoiler, dark tinted headlights and foglights, while the Sportingf features sports seats, cruise control, side skirts, air conditioning, sports suspension and 17-inch alloy wheels as standard.

New VW Golf and Ford Fiesta Lead European Market in 3Q of 2009, Defy Crisis with Increased Sales

Helped by their popularity in national scrappage schemes, the latest generation VW Golf and Ford Fiesta models are leading the way in the European sales chart boasting a 21.3% and 40.2% increase in sales respectively in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in 2008, according to data released by Jato Dynamics.

The Golf VI, which is the market leader, recorded sales of 59,552 units in September representing a 56% increase over the 2008. VW's Polo and Passat models didn't fare as well in the month and are down YtD (Year to Date - January to September) by 3.3% and 15.8% respectively.

Ford's new Fiesta that will soon be available in the States found 51,291 new owners in September, 63.9% more than a year ago and over 12,000 more new registrations than the third-placed Opel/ Vauxhall Corsa that was up 17.1% in September but down 6.8% YtD.

Fiat's best selling models, the Punto supermini and the Panda mini enjoyed another jaunty sales period, with both cars featured in the top ten list. The Punto recording a 66.2% rise in sales for the month (+10.1% YtD) while the Panda was up by 14.4% in September (+30.6% YtD).

Finally, Renault's new Megane rounded off the top ten list in September with a whopping 90.4% increase in sales over the same month last year (+29.0% YtD).

As for brand performance, Volkswagen continues to hold on to first place with 1,241,755 sales YtD (+3.7%). In September, the German automaker sold 155,770 new cars in Europe which represents a significant increase of 16.3%.

In second place we find Ford that saw a healthy 3.7% YtD sales rise (+18.0% in September). The only other car manufacturer in the top ten list to record an increase in YtD sales is Fiat (+2.5%).

Overall, the European car market was up 7.5 per cent in September (1,379,610 units sold) compared to last year (1,283,537 units), but 5.7 per cent down in YtD sales ( 10,857,605 vs 11,517,910 cars )

Data: Jato Dynamics

VIDEO: 2010 Fiat Punto EVO Presentation Aboard the Decks of Italy's Newest Aircraft Carrier

Unveiled in a world premiere at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show, the 2010 Punto Evo replaces the Grande Punto in Fiat's European passenger car range. Despite the name change, the differences between the two models are limited to a new nose job, some minor cosmetic tweaks at the back, a restyled dashboard and the introduction of two new powerplants to the lineup. The Punto EVO is scheduled to go on sale in mid October. Hit the jump to watch the videos that include footage from the presentation of the car on the decks of Italy's newest aircraft carrier, Cavour, in La Spezia, Italy.

2010 Fiat Punto EVO Live from the Frankfurt Motor Show

Exploiting a moniker that's usually held for race- or rally-bred sport cars such as our beloved Delta Integrale, Fiat introduced a mildly facelifted version of the Grande Punto in Frankfurt. To be known from now on as the Punto Evo, the Italian supermini gains a restyled front-end with a new bumper design that brings it closer to the 500 along with tweaked front and rear light clusters as well as a reworked rear bumper. These changes "stretched" the car's length to 4,060mm, while all other external dimensions remain the same.

The upgrades in the cabin are more noticeable as the dashboard, seats and instrument panel have been given a thoroughly restyled look that borrows from the C-segment Bravo hatch.

Furthermore, the 2010 Punto Evo is the second car in the Fiat Group after the Alfa Romeo MiTo to benefit from an updated range of petrol engines equipped with the firm's revolutionary MultiAir technology that uses a new electrohydraulic valve management system to reduce fuel consumption by controlling air directly via the inlet valves without using the throttle.

Along with the familiar diesel line-up, the supermini's range also includes two alternative fuel engines, a methane and an LPG unit.

Prices are expected to be announced closer the Fiat Punto Evo's sale date in the second half of October.

Fiat Punto Evo: Restyled Grande Punto Revealed Ahead of Frankfurt Show

As a world premiere, Fiat will be presenting the refreshed Grande Punto at next month's Frankfurt Motor Show before the supermini goes on sale across Europe in late October. Now named 'Punto Evo', the Italian automaker's proposal in the hot B-segment has been given a mild exterior restyling, a reworked interior and an updated engine range that includes a 1.4-liter Multiair gasoline and a second generation 1.3-liter Multijet diesel.

On the outside, Fiat's Centro Stile tweaked the Punto Evo with restyled headlamps and a new front bumper that now incorporates three grilles and a dark grey center section while at the back, there's a redesigned bumper and updated tail lights. Overall, we'd say that the styling changes make the Punto Evo look more fussy than it needs...

Fiat said that latest redesign has "stretched" the car to a total length of 406cm while the other external dimensions remaining the same, with a width of 169 cm, a height of 149 cm and a wheelbase of 251 cm.

Inside, the reworked cabin gains a newly styled dashboard with a more premium feel that's inspired by the larger Bravo and features deep-set gauges on the instrument panel, new audio and climate systems as well as circular side vents.

Moving on to the engine range, there's a new 1.4-liter gasoline unit featuring the company's MultiAir system which uses electrohydraulic valve management to reduce fuel consumption by controlling air directly via the inlet valves without using the throttle.

Fiat did not release any performance figures but the automaker said that compared to a conventional petrol engine of the same size, the MultiAir unit develops up to 10% more power and 15% more torque while cutting fuel consumption and emissions by up to 10%.

There's also a second generation 1.3-liter Mulitjet diesel with a new common rail injector that offers an improvement of around 2% in consumption and CO2 emissions.

As a first, all Euro5 petrol and diesel engines in the range will be fitted with a Start&Stop system as standard.

Finally, all Punto Evos will get seven airbags as standard, including a driver knee airbag, while there's also a new "Blue&Me–TomTom" infotainment system that manages telephone, navigation and information functions on a color touch-screen.

2010 Fiat Grande Punto Facelift Revealed in New Spy Shots

A set of revealing pictures depicting the refreshed 2010 Fiat Grande Punto without any camouflage whatsoever have slipped into the internet. The updated Italian supermini that rivals models such as the Ford Fiesta and Peugeot 207 features a revised front and rear end design as well as a new dashboard that follows in the lines of the larger Bravo hatchback.

Due to be officially unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September and go on sale before the end of the year, the facelifted Grande Punto sports a revised front end with reworked headlamps and a new front bumper that now incorporates three grilles and a dark grey center section while the photos also reveal that Fiat's designers restyled the tail lights.

Inside, the 2010MY Grande Punto boast a new dashboard design that is heavily inspired from the C-Segment Bravo. Highlights include the deep-set gauges on the instrument panel, the new audio and climate systems as well as the circular side vents.

There's also talk about a revised diesel and gasoline engine line up, but better wait for Fiat to issue something official on the matter.

Via: Autoblog.it & Autopareri

Fiat Releases New Sport Seats for Abarth Grande Punto and Abarth 500

Current or soon-to-be owners of the Abarth Grande Punto and Abarth 500 sport hatchbacks will now be able to enhance their cars with a new set of bucket seats that were created in collaboration with Italian specialist, Sabelt. The lightweight, body retaining sport seats are available in two versions, in Frau black leather with fretworked black Alcantara, or black "F1" technical fabric. Both seats are finished with red thread seams, a distinctive embroidered Abarth name, and the Scorpion Logo on the backrest tilt wheel.

In Britain, the 'Abarth Corse by Sabelt' seats are offered throughout Abarth's 16-strong dealer network and are priced at £2250 per pair (leather) or £1760 per pair (fabric). They will initially be available on the Abarth Grande Punto, followed later in the year by the Abarth 500 version.

New Fiat Grande Punto Natural Power will Cost you as low as €3.8/100 km

Fiat is further enhancing its already large fleet of methane-powered cars with the introduction of the Grande Punto Natural Power. The new dual fuel (petrol/methane) version of the Maserati-faced Grande Punto is powered by a 1.4-liter 8v Fire engine. According to Fiat, in Italy 12 Euros ($16.5 US) will buy you a full tank of natural gas which is good enough to cover a distance of 310 km (195 miles). Another asset of the new model is its extremely high range of more than 1,000 km or 620 miles as it features two tanks -an 84 liter tank for methane and a 45 liter one for gasoline. -Continued

Fiat said that the promotional launch price for the new Grande Punto Natural Power will start from 12,300 Euros which is the equivalent of $16,800 US, complemented by 6 years of interest-free finance, an offer valid to 31 December 2009.