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Just a little while ago, a heavily camouflaged Fiat SUV was spotted testing on the roads of Bengaluru. At the time, many people wondered whether Fiat was finally planning a comeback to the Indian market. Now, the mystery has been solved as Fiat has officially unveiled the production version of this SUV. It is called the Fiat Grizzly, and it is being offered in a coupe-SUV body style which has been named the Grizzly Fastback. However, before you get too excited, Fiat has not made any announcement regarding its return to India.

It has been announced that currently the newly unveiled Grizzly and Grizzly Fastback will be offered in the global markets, including Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. The Fiat Grizzly in the global lineup of Fiat has been positioned above the Grande Panda. It is a spacious and practical family SUV which has been designed for customers who need more room and versatility.

Both SUVs are based on Stellantis’ Smart Car architecture. This platform currently underpins a number of vehicles, including the Citroen C3 and Citroen C3 Aircross in India, and the Opel Frontera and Fiat Grande Panda internationally. As per the company, the Grizzly measures under 4.5 metres in length and will compete against family-oriented SUVs such as the Renault Bigster in international markets.

Coming to its exterior design, it boasts a rugged and modern theme. The Grizzly gets squared-off wheel arches, an upright bonnet, an illuminated front grille, slim LED headlamps, large alloy wheels, and connected LED tail lamps. There is also a lot of black body cladding and faux skid plates which give this SUV a more rugged appearance.

As for the Grizzly Fastback, it offers a more stylish approach. Its main highlight is its sloping roofline, a sharply raked rear windshield, and a coupe-inspired rear profile. To some, it may look like a more sophisticated version of the Citroen Basalt. Fiat has also given it unique alloy wheels and additional styling elements to help distinguish it from the standard SUV.

Presently, Fiat has not revealed the interior design of both Grizzly models. However, the company has stated that it will be offering very premium cabin materials, improved practicality, and class-leading cargo capacity. Fiat has also stated that both SUVs have been designed with families in mind and offer an amazing in-car experience with modern technology.

One of the biggest highlights of the Grizzly range will be the variety of powertrain options that will be available. Fiat has confirmed that these SUVs will be offered with petrol, hybrid, and fully electric versions. The petrol and mild-hybrid variants are expected to use Stellantis’ familiar 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which is already used in a number of models globally. The company has also planned fully electric versions which will likely share battery and drivetrain technologies with other Stellantis EVs.

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As stated above, a little while ago, a camouflaged Grizzly Fastback was spotted in Bengaluru. Many people at the time believed that Fiat was preparing to make a return to the Indian market. However, there is a simpler explanation. For those who may not be aware, Stellantis has a major engineering and development presence in India.

The company operates a major technology and software centre in Bengaluru, where engineers work on vehicle software, connected technologies, AI systems, and validation programs for global products. Apart from this, Stellantis also has engineering operations in Chennai, Pune, and Hyderabad.

As a result, India is used by global manufacturers for durability, suspension, and powertrain testing because of the country’s diverse road conditions and extreme weather environments. There is also a strong manufacturing ecosystem which supports Stellantis in India. A number of components used in Stellantis vehicles are manufactured locally.

There are companies such as AVTEC, a CK Birla Group company located in Hosur, that produce important powertrain and drivetrain components for Stellantis operations globally. Due to this extensive engineering and manufacturing presence, it is very likely that the Grizzly was being tested in India.

Currently, one of the biggest questions is if Fiat will be making a comeback to India after exiting the Indian passenger vehicle market in 2019. At the moment, there are some rumours regarding a comeback. However, the company has not officially confirmed any such plans. As of now, Fiat has not announced any plans to launch either the Grizzly or Grizzly Fastback in India.