Thursday, October 19, 2006

Fiat Concept Car Adventure Hints at Next Stilo

SAN PAOLO, Brazil — Fiat introduced its new Concept Car Adventure at the 24th San Paolo Motor Show. Conceived and designed in Brazil, the track-oriented prototype features styling cues to the next-generation Fiat Stilo.

Fiat Concept Car Fiat is fighting to keep its market share in Brazil. It has been battling Volkswagen for decades, and now General Motors has stepped up local efforts. Fiat, like its rivals, has a local design studio to fine-tune existing models for the local market.

Although the Fiat Stilo compact wasn't well received in Europe, it is popular enough in Brazil to be kept in production. The new Concept Car Adventure reportedly shows the front end of the updated Stilo, which will be launched next year.

Otherwise, the Adventure name is being used on a series of Brazil-market faux off-roaders, like the Palio Adventure and the Idea Adventure. Both have increased ground clearance and sturdy-looking body add-ons, but they don't possess any off-roading ability. These versions have been created to lure younger buyers.

The same is true for the Concept Car Adventure. Looking like a car from a video game, it rides on special 18-inch wheels and is powered by a 167-horsepower 2.4-liter five-cylinder gasoline engine. Its four-wheel independent suspension and adjustable shock absorbers might suggest otherwise, but the Concept Car Adventure is front-wheel drive only. The interior is trimmed in black, silver and orange.

© Source: original article on insideline