An all-new Fiat pick-up has been spotted by CarAdvice's spy photographers in northern Europe. The new Fiat ute may appear more like an SUV than a pick-up truck to rival the likes of the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, but the bulky camouflage at the rear of the vehicle is simply a ruse.
The notion of a dual-cab ute from Fiat is not a new one, as the Italian brand announced a Memorandum of Understanding with Mitsubishi Motors to build a pick-up based on the new-generation Triton ute in 2013. However, it is clear from these images that the vehicle is running a car-like coil-spring rear suspension setup rather than the conventional leaf-spring layout of heavy duty trucksters.
As such, our spies suggest the ute may be in fact based upon the Dodge Journey/Fiat Freemont twins, with a more sporting intent than the regular crowd of rough-and-tumble utes - and Fiat has shown a concept pick-up, the FCC4, that very much aligned with that formula.
The size of the ute looks about right to rival the big name dual-cab models that dominate the Australian market, and small enough to sit below the bulkier Ford F Series and Toyota Tundra models that sell in big numbers in the US.
We'll have to wait and see what the production version of the Fiat ute looks like, but if it were to be available in right-hand drive it would be a near-certainty that the Italian marque's ambitious local arm would want to take it on board to sell alongside the Fiat Professional van range. Stay tuned for more.
- CarAdvice.com.au