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Fiat's new R71 900 car

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The new Palio eCo will compete against the Corsa Lite
The new Palio eCo will compete against the Corsa Lite

The Italian carmaker has just launched the Palio eCo which will sell for R71 900 for the three-door and R73 900 for the five-door.

And according to Fiat this newcomer is not just a stripped-down version of the normal Palio.

Fiat SA says that for the past two years it has undertaken a comprehensive cost-saving exercise in conjunction with Wits University and more recently Fiat Auto Brazil.

The cumulative result of this research is the new Fiat Palio eCo.

Although most of the "savings" have taken place under the skin, a few are visible.

Fiat uses the cloth trim on the door panel as a "savings" example. Apparently by orienting the grain of the fabric to run horizontally as opposed to vertically has resulted in the more economical use of upholstery material.

Another example of a running change that will shortly be implemented concerns the passenger door lock.

Central locking renders a key lock on the passenger side redundant and therefore the passenger door will no longer have a visible key lock.

Standard kit of the Palio eCo:

  • Colour-coded bumpers
  • Tinted windows
  • Key-operated central locking
  • Fiat rolling code immobiliser
  • Intermittent two-speed windscreen wipers
  • Internally adjustable external mirrors
  • Pre-wiring for radio and antenna fitment
  • Heated rear window
  • Rev counter
  • Halogen headlights
  • 12-volt power point
  • Full wheel covers
  • Height-adjustable head restraints
  • Third high-level brake light
  • Rear fog lights
  • Side impact bars
  • Anti-submarining seats
  • Full-size spare wheel.

    Under the bonnet is Fiat's 1.2-litre eight-valve engine which delivers 54 kW of power at 6 000 r/min, along with 102 Nm of torque at 3 250 r/min.

    In the combined cycle it consumes 7.8 litres of fuel per 100 km.

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