Fiat South Africa will introduce a raft of new vehicles South Africa, most notably a new double cab named the Fullback.

A blinged-up version of this much-anticipated bakkie, which is based on the well-known Mitsubishi Triton, was shown at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. The showpiece was finished in Liquid Metal Grey paint and adorned with tinted taillights and (bi-Xenon) headlights, flared wheel arches, side steps, a rollbar, matte black detailing and highly stylised 20-inch alloy wheels.

However, the Fullback (yes, it is named after the number 15 player in a rugby team) that's scheduled to be introduced to the local market during the third quarter of 2016, will be offered as basic single-cab (4×2) and leisure market-oriented double-cab (4×2 and 4×4). There will be a 97 kW naturally aspirated 2.4-litre petrol and a 2.5-litre turbodiesel (with outputs of either 100 kW and 131 kW), both mated with a five-speed manual gearbox.

Size-wise, the Fullback will naturally measure up with its Mitsubishi-made cousin. The wheelbase is 3.0 metres long, but the lengths of the bakkies vary depending on the configuration. The double cab is the longest(at 5 285 mm), but its load bed is the shortest (1 520 mm). Maximum payload is 1 100 kg.

The Fullback will form part of Fiat's Professional (commercial) model portfolio and be sold through selected Fiat dealerships countrywide.

Fiat 500

The Fiat 500 is the brand’s most popular model in South Africa and a new version will goon sale very shortly. The Fiat 500 Series 4 will see the introduction of a number of new technological features to the range, including a digital dashboard as well as the two-cylinder TwinAir engines. These tiny engines may sound laughable, but as European sales successes show, there’s a definite need for compact city cars that offer excellent fuel economy/low emissions. The Fiat 500S is under consideration for our market and we hope it will arrive too, because it will add a load of tech, funkiness and more personalisation options to the market.

Read more about the new Fiat 500 here.

Other Fiat models

The compact Fiat Tipo and Abarth 124 Spider (a faster version of the Fiat 124 Spider) are under consideration and if they do get the green light, we’ll see them make landfall in the first quarter of 2017.

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