Fiat unveiled its new commercial vehicle, called Punto Van. It is a Punto hatchback, stripped down and fitted with body panels where the windows usually go. Capable of carrying 35 cubic feet and 1,150 pounds of cargo, the Punto Van is powered by a 1.3-liter MultiJet II diesel in three states of tune (75, 85 or 95 horsepower), two trim levels and three colors.

Taking the place in its line-up where the previous versions of the Grande Punto and Punto Evo sat, Fiat Professional just took the wraps off the new Punto Van at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham, England, with order books opening later this month.

Press Release

Fiat Professional’s New Punto Van 2012 will make its UK debut at this year’s Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham’s NEC (24 -26 April, 2012).

The New Punto Van replaces the Grande Punto Van in the Fiat Professional line-up and brings a wealth of improvements over its predecessor, providing customers with a strong proposition in the car-derived van market, with a load capacity of 1.0 m3 and a payload of 520 kg.

New Punto Van 2012 features external styling changes with fully colour-coded front and rear bumpers for a more sophisticated look. The new model combines the successful style of both the Grande Punto and Punto Evo passenger cars, so the interior features new sportier seat fabrics and on the SX version there is a new dashboard with soft touch materials and an elegant design.

Standard equipment on all versions includes ESP (Electronic Stability Programme), BAS (Brake Assistance System), remote central locking, electric front windows, electrically adjustable and heated body coloured mirrors, trip computer, driver and passenger airbags, radio/CD/MP3 player, electric power steering, height and reach-adjustable steering wheel and a height-adjustable driver’s seat.

New Punto Van will be available with one diesel engine, the award-winning and best-selling 1.3 MultiJet II diesel, in three levels of power:

75hp (55 kW) / 190 Nm max torque (at 1500 rpm)
67.2 MPG (4.2 l/100km) combined fuel consumption and 112 g/km CO2 emissions
85hp (62 kW) / 200 Nm max torque (at 1500 rpm) with Start&Stop
80.7 MPG (3.5 l/100km) combined fuel consumption and 90 g/km CO2 emissions
95hp (70 kW) / 200 Nm max torque (at 1500 rpm) with Start&Stop
67.2 MPG (4.2 l/100km) combined fuel consumption and 110 g/km CO2 emissions
Start&Stop is standard equipment on the 1.3 MultiJet II 85hp and 95hp versions.

The new range starts with the entry level 1.3 MultiJet II 75hp version at £10,990.00 (exc. VAT and OTR), providing great value for those customers searching for an affordable price but with all the safety and comfort features included (ESP, airbags, electric windows and mirrors, radio/CD/MP3 player).

For an additional £500, the 1.3 MultiJet II 85hp version is available, with 10hp more and Start&Stop, having a combined fuel consumption of 80.7 MPG and CO2 emissions of 90 g/km.

The SX trim level is available in combination with the 1.3 MultiJet II 95hp, adding a further £500 to the 85hp version but providing 10hp more, manual air conditioning and a driver’s knee airbag.

It will be available in three pastel colours White, Dark Blue and Red.

The New Punto Van balances head-turning style, fuel economy, and elegance with load-bearing practicality, and will become available to order from the end of April.

Today Fiat unveiled facelifted version of the Punto supermini. The most interesting change is the two-cylinder MultiAir turbocharged gasoline engine. It’s the same unit used in Fiat’s 500 and Panda, producing 85HP and 145 Nm of torque at 2,000 rpm.

The engine’s technical characteristics and the use of a six-speed gearbox offer performance comparable to poweplants with a bigger displacement, but with lower CO2 emissions. The driver can also choose between “normal” and “eco” driving modes by pushing the ECO button on the dashboard, depending on whether he wants full power or a more fuel-efficient drive.

As variant, he 2012 Fiat Punto gets a second-generation 1.3-liter 16-valve Multijet turbodiesel with 85HP and 200 Nm of torque at just 1,500 rpm. It introduces two new CO2-reducing technologies: Intelligent Alternator, which recharges the battery during engine cut-off, and Intelligent Flow that features a variable displacement oil pump and an optimized cooling circuit.

Fiat also reshuffled the MY 2012 Punto lineup which now comprises of three trim levels, Pop, Easy and Lounge for all engines, plus a dedicated trim level for the TwinAir with a grey and black interior.

Fiat introduced a facelifted version of the Grande Punto at the autoshow in Frankfurt. The new Punto, called Evo, gains a restyled front-end with a new bumper design that brings it closer to the 500 along with tweaked front and rear light clusters as well as a reworked rear bumper. These changes “stretched” the car’s length to 4,060mm.

The upgrades in the cabin are more noticeable as the dashboard, seats and instrument panel have been given a thoroughly restyled look that borrows from the C-segment Bravo hatch.

The 2010 FIAT Punto Evo will gets an updated range of petrol engines equipped with the MultiAir technology that uses a new electrohydraulic valve management system to reduce fuel consumption by controlling air directly via the inlet valves without using the throttle.

Prices are expected to be announced in the second half of October.