New Flat Grande Punto

Expected End-2008 Estimated price Rs 5 lakh
FEW CARS are good enough to lead a segment. Fewer still can lay claim to salvaging a company. But the very attrac­tive Grande Punto seems to have done both. The hatch­back, with a Maserati-like nose and a minimalist rear, starts out on the right foot - people just love the looks. It’s spacious inside, comfort­able to ride in and is powered by -you guessed it –Fiat’s 1.3 Multijet common-rail diesel motor. To entice custom­ers back into the Show room, Fiat is planning a killer price. This may mean fitting new bumpers to get the car’s length to below four metres to qualify for the small car excise cut. It also plans to localise the car heavily for bet­ter control over production.