This is the first, unofficial, image of Fiat's new 500X, a compact crossover based on the same platform as the 500L people carrier and which will go on sale in early 2015. The car will make its full, official debut at the Paris Motor Show. It will also platform share with the new Jeep Renegade, Jeeps first ever compact crossover, which we weill be test-driving shortly.
Sleeker and more low-slung than the 500L, the 500X will have to face up to the might of Nissan's strong-selling Juke, and rivals such as the Peugeot 2008 and Ford EcoSport. To do this, it will come to the market with Fiat's impressively low-carbon engine range, inclduing 1.3 and 1.6-litre diesels, 1.4-litre petrol turbo and the 900cc two-cylinder TwinAir petrol.
As with the Renegade, the 500X will be offered in two versions - a front-drive 'urban' one and a more rugged 4WD one with more underbody protection and some genuine off-road ability. There's also likely to be a hot Abarth version, which will rival the Nissan Juke Nismo, and even potentially act as a cut-price rival to the likes of the Mercedes GLA45 AMG.
It will be built in Italy, alongside the Jeep Renegade, in Fiat's Melfi plant and it will have to sell strongly to keep its factory open. Melfi currently builds the slow-selling and aged Punto, and Fiat held a round of layoffs and redundancies there last year before committing to re-fit the factory for 500X and Renegade productions. If the two cars don't contribute, and fast, to Fiat-Chrysler's ambitious expansion plans, then there could be trouble ahead.
The 500X will be an especially critical car for Fiat's ambitions in Ireland, as it seeks to rebuild both its brand image and sales here. While the task of taking on the established Japanese and Korean small car players won't be easy, having a fashionable 4x4 in the range can really lift an entire brand's appeal - just as Hyundai discovered more thana decade ago with the original Santa Fe.
