Fiat has discontinued retail operations in India under its own brand name for the past two years
A few days ago, Fiat officially revealed its upcoming compact SUV for the Brazillian market which until now was known by its marketing name Progetto 363. The Italian auto brand has finally announced that the new crossover will be christened as Pulse after the moniker won a public poll.
Around 65 percent of voters opted for ‘Pulse’ while other nominees Domo and Tuo were left with 25 percent and 10 percent of votes respectively. Around 3.8 lakh people from different regions of the South American nation took part in the online poll which decided the final production name of Progetto 363. The new UV is slated to launch in Brazil between September and October this year.
Modified Argo Platform
Along with its name, Fiat also revealed a few more details of the upcoming crossover. The SUV will be based on a new modular platform called MLA which is essentially an evolved form of PM1 underpinning the Argo hatchback.
This platform is capable of incorporating new technologies such as hybrid powertrains and 4×4 drivetrain as well. The company claims that this platform has higher strength steel and is stiffer and stronger and is expected to perform well in the Latin NCAP safety crash tests.
Pulse will offer a wheelbase of 2,532mm which is 11mm longer than what its hatchback sibling offers. The overall length of the crossover is expected to hover around 4 metres. This crossover will sit below Jeep Renegade in FCA’s global portfolio. Renegade competes against the segment of SUVs measuring 4.2 metre to 4.4 metre.
New Features
Fiat has also announced some of the features we could expect on the upcoming Pulse. This includes four airbags and a touchscreen infotainment unit compatible with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
It will also be offered with a new Fiat Connect Me application that will allow users to perform operations via a smartphone or smartwatch such as remote locking, turning air conditioner on/off, or turning engine on/off. The multimedia system will be installed with a chip which will offer wifi and other connected car tech features.
Engine, Transmission Options
As far as powertrain is concerned, Fiat will be offering Pulse with two engine options. The first option is a 1.3-litre Firefly naturally aspirated petrol unit which returns an output of 109 bhp and 140 Nm of peak torque. This unit is expected to be paired with a 5-speed manual transmission. The second option is a 1.0-litre three-cylinder GSE turbo petrol engine from Stellantis which could kick out 120 bhp and 196 Nm of peak torque. ‘
This motor will be mated to a CVT automatic gearbox. There is also a chance that Fiat may offer Pulse with a new 1.3-litre GSE T3 turbocharged petrol engine, which also powers the South American-spec Jeep Compass. After its debut in Brazil, Pulse is also expected to be launched in other South American markets such as Argentina and Colombia thereafter. India launch is not on cards.
