Fiat is hoping to make a name for itself with that rarest of the Fiat species these days: a big car.
The name chosen may have a certain ring of familiarity, for the new arrival will be called Croma, an upper medium saloon that was around from 1985 to 1994. Over 450,000 were sold.
"We are back with the Croma badge because it is well remembered in Italy and abroad and we did well from it," explained project engineer Sergio Cravura.
Old and new Croma are, however, worlds apart. The old car was a traditional three-box saloon, whereas its latter-day successor claims a new kind of formula, a blending of the attributes of saloon, estate and MPV. In the shorthand of many car analysts, the new Croma is a crossover. It's the work of Giorgetto Giugiaro and the great styling guru has taken onboard the lesson learned with people movers - the ability to create space freely. "But we also wanted to be stylish in a way that MPVs cannot be," added Sergio Cravura, who was speaking at Croma's international press launch near its manufacturing base at Cassino.
Croma made its debut at the recent Geneva show where it found favourable comment, particularly for its roominess. Fiat claims that it is in fact the roomiest car in its segment. There's only one version, 4,750mm long, 1,770mm wide and 1,600mm high. The driver and passengers sit high, about 100mm above that of the competition.
The engine line-up embraces two Multijet 1.9 litre diesel versions with 120 and 150bhp, a flagship Multijet 2.4 20v diesel automatic developing 200bhp and 1.8 and 2.2 petrol options with 140 and 147bhp.
The Cassino plant, midway between Rome and Naples, is currently building the Croma for mainland European markets and a summer launch. It doesn't arrive here in Ireland until December, just in time for the burgeoning January 2006 market. The 1.9 120bhp Multijet model will be one of the first Irish offerings: its starting price in Italy is €23,200.
Fiat knows it has a mountain to climb in winning acceptance for the Croma. The company's continuing financial woes and prolonged absence from the segment are certainly not beneficial factors. The proof of the pudding will come when European motorists start piling on the kilometres.