South America: 2018 Fiat Cronos - Linea replacement unveiled

Earlier this month, Fiat released a teaser of the Cronos sedan. The car which replaces the Linea has now been officially unveiled. The car will compete with the Volkswagen Virtus and is scheduled to go on sale in the South American markets by Q1 2018.

The Fiat Cronos shares its platform with the Argo hatchback. To differentiate it from the 5-door model, Fiat has given the Cronos a new front end. While the headlights have been carried over, the grille and front bumper have been redesigned. The grille has a smaller mesh design with a chrome strip in the middle. The front bumper houses a set of fog lamps and a large air intake with a chrome line running through it. From the A-pillar to the C-pillar, the design of the Cronos is identical to the hatchback, except for the chrome trim on the doors and door handles. The 10-spoke alloy wheels are unique to the sedan. The rear features wraparound LED tail lights and a dual-tone bumper. The Cronos is expected to share the same interior layout as the Argo.

In the Brazilian market, the Cronos comes with the same engines as the Argo hatchback. Barring the 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine, the Cronos gets a 108 BHP, 1.3-litre petrol and a 1.8-litre flex-fuel engine which produces 137 BHP. While a 5-speed manual transmission is standard, the latter comes with an optional 6-speed automatic.

Fiat hasn’t revealed any plans to launch the Cronos in the Indian market, but it is believed that the Cronos would be an ideal candidate to replace the Linea in India.