FIAT Tipo (Type 160) - 1988
This FIAT Tipo (Type 160), 5-door hatchback of 1988 looks pretty ordinary. This ordinariness obscures the importance of this model to the FIAT Group as a whole.
The Tipo was a C-segment hatchback, much like the VW Golf. It debuted a new platform however, one which would form the basis for a significant number of the FIAT Groups vehicle lines.
Both Alfa Romeo and Lancia had only recently been amalgamated into the FIAT Group. Both companies had aged product lines, inefficient manufacturing plants, and low economies of scale.
Where the Tipo directly replaced the Ritmo, it also formed the basis for the Tempra Sedan and Wagon (replacing the Regata). The Tempra was nearly identical to the Lancia Dedra, and related Delta (II) hatchbacks, along with the Alfa Romeo 155, and hatchback 145/146 models.
Such cost-efficiency allowed the FIAT Group to develop a number of niche vehicle from the platform also, some including a higher level of more expensive, unique hardware. These included the FIAT Coupe along with the Type 916 Alfa Romeo Spider and GTV.
The architecture was further evolved into the FIAT C1 platform, again providing the basis for a suite of models for FIAT, Lancia and Alfa Romeo brands.
FIAT Tipo (Type 160) - 1988
This FIAT Tipo (Type 160), 5-door hatchback of 1988 looks pretty ordinary. This ordinariness obscures the importance of this model to the FIAT Group as a whole.
The Tipo was a C-segment hatchback, much like the VW Golf. It debuted a new platform however, one which would form the basis for a significant number of the FIAT Groups vehicle lines.
Both Alfa Romeo and Lancia had only recently been amalgamated into the FIAT Group. Both companies had aged product lines, inefficient manufacturing plants, and low economies of scale.
Where the Tipo directly replaced the Ritmo, it also formed the basis for the Tempra Sedan and Wagon (replacing the Regata). The Tempra was nearly identical to the Lancia Dedra, and related Delta (II) hatchbacks, along with the Alfa Romeo 155, and hatchback 145/146 models.
Such cost-efficiency allowed the FIAT Group to develop a number of niche vehicle from the platform also, some including a higher level of more expensive, unique hardware. These included the FIAT Coupe along with the Type 916 Alfa Romeo Spider and GTV.
The architecture was further evolved into the FIAT C1 platform, again providing the basis for a suite of models for FIAT, Lancia and Alfa Romeo brands.