The Fiat Albea is a subcompact car produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat between 2002 and 2012, at the Tofaş facilities in Turkey. It is the European version of the global Fiat Siena, the sedan car derived from the hatch compact Fiat Palio. It is a low cost sedan, aimed at developing global markets, and was not sold in Western Europe.
| Fiat Albea | |
|---|---|
 2005 Fiat Albea (post-facelift) | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Fiat |
| Also called | Fiat Siena (China) |
| Production | 2002–2012 (Turkey) 2002–2006 (China) 2006–2011 (Russia) 2011–2014 (China: Zotye Auto) |
| Assembly | Bursa, Turkey (Tofaş) Naberezhnye Chelny, Russia (Fiat-Sollers)[1] Nanjing, China (Nanjing Fiat) |
| Designer | Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Subcompact car/Supermini (B) |
| Body style | 4-door sedan |
| Layout | Front-engine, front-wheel-drive |
| Related | Fiat Palio Fiat Siena Fiat Strada Fiat Perla Zotye Z200 |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1.2 L Fire I4 (petrol) 1.4 L Fire I4 (petrol) 1.6 L Torque I4 (petrol) 1.3 L MultiJet I4 (diesel) |
| Transmission | 5-speed manual 5-speed CVT (Speedgear)[2] |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,439 mm (96.0 in)[3] |
| Length | 4,210 mm (165.7 in) (2002–2005)[4] 4,186 mm (164.8 in) (2005–2012)[5] |
| Width | 1,703 mm (67.0 in) |
| Height | 1,489 mm (58.6 in) |
| Curb weight | 1,045 kg (2,304 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Fiat Siena |
| Successor | Fiat Linea |
It was also produced in China, where it retained the Fiat Siena nameplate and had two derived versions, the Fiat Perla and currently the Zotye Z200.
Production
editThe Albea was designed by the Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. It has a similar design with its South American equivalent, the Siena, but with a longer wheelbase.[6] The extension is visible in a somewhat extended segment between the trailing edge of the rear doors and the rear wheelhouse.
A facelifted version has been available since February 2005, two months before the Palio underwent a similar restyling.[7] This version has a new front end, no bumper moldings, and a round "Fiat" badge in the top center of the trunklid.[8]
From 2006 to 2011, the Albea was assembled from complete knock down kits in Russia, in Naberezhnye Chelny, at the Fiat-Sollers plant. The car was available in Russia with 1.4-liter petrol engine only.[9]
Production in Turkey ended in 2012, ending altogether production of the European version of the Palio.[10]
Engines
edit| Engine | Type | Displacement | Power | Torque |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2 8V SOHC | I4 | 1,242 cc | 60 PS (44 kW; 59 hp) at 5,000 rpm | 102 N⋅m (75 lb⋅ft) at 2,500 rpm |
| 1.2 16V DOHC | I4 | 1,242 cc | 80 PS (59 kW; 79 hp) at 5,000 rpm | 114 N⋅m (84 lb⋅ft) at 4,000 rpm |
| 1.4 8V SOHC | I4 | 1,368 cc | 77 PS (57 kW; 76 hp) at 6,000 rpm | 115 N⋅m (85 lb⋅ft) at 3,000 rpm |
| 1.6 16V DOHC | I4 | 1,596 cc | 103 PS (76 kW; 102 hp) at 5,750 rpm | 145 N⋅m (107 lb⋅ft) at 4,000 rpm |
| 1.3 16V MultiJet | I4 | 1,248 cc | 70 PS (51 kW; 69 hp) at 4,000 rpm | 180 N⋅m (130 lb⋅ft) at 1,500 rpm |
Safety rating
editThe Albea was tested by ARCAP, according to the Euro NCAP latest regulations. It scored 8.5 points in the frontal crash test, equivalent to three stars in the Euro NCAP testings. The tested vehicle was equipped with standard driver airbag and regular seatbelts.[11]
The Fiat Perla, a Chinese version of the Albea, was tested in China by the China-NCAP in three different tests: a 100% front crash test with a wall (similar to the US NTHSA test), a 40% offset test (similar to the Euro NCAP test) and a side crash test similar to the Euro NCAP.
The Perla scored 8.06 points in the 100% frontal crash test, equivalent to three stars, 12.02 points in the 40% offset crash test, equivalent to four stars, and 10,96 points in the side crash test, equivalent to three stars, with an average result of 31 points and three stars. The tested vehicle was equipped with standard driver and passenger airbag and regular seatbelts.[12]
Nameplate use
editIn Mexico, the 2009 model of the Fiat Siena has been marketed as the Fiat Albea, replacing the Palio Sedán nameplate used on the previous series of the car.[13]
References
edit- ^ ""Severstal-auto" JSC announces FIAT production launch in Russia". Sollers. 2006-12-01. Archived from the original on 2012-03-31.
- ^ "Fiat Albea" (PDF). Fiat. 5 July 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ "Manual de utilizare Fiat Albea" (PDF) (in Romanian). FIAT Romania. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
- ^ "FIAT Albea I - Dane techniczne" (in Polish). WP.pl. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- ^ "FIAT Albea II - Dane techniczne" (in Polish). WP.pl. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- ^ "Fiat Albea 1.2 16V" (in Romanian). Autoshow. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2011-05-06.
- ^ Mazur, Eligiusz, ed. (2006). World of Cars 2006·2007. Warsaw, Poland: Media Connection Sp. z o.o. p. 275. ISSN 1734-2945.
- ^ "Fiat Albea - Generatia urmatoare" (in Romanian). Autoshow. 2006-05-16. Archived from the original on 2007-05-16.
- ^ "Fiat Albea". Wroom.ru. Archived from the original on 2016-02-15.
- ^ Köprülü, Levent (2013-02-11). "Tofaş'tan sürpriz 2 model hazırlığı" [Tofaş plans two new surprise models]. Milliyet. Archived from the original on 2014-02-14. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
- ^ "AutoReview Magazine; Russia" (in Russian). Autoreview. Archived from the original on 2008-01-11. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
- ^ "China-NCAP" (in Chinese). C-NCAP. Archived from the original on 2009-03-04. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
- ^ "México: Nuevo Fiat Albea 2009" (in Spanish). Autoblog Español. Archived from the original on 24 August 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
External links
edit- Official website (with redirects to each country's website)
- Official Russian Fiat Albea website