In the rearview mirror: Italy's Polo
It is something like the Italian VW Polo and also shares the first letter of the model designation with the Wolfsburg model: Fiat presented the Punto in late summer 1993. By 2018, the small car had been built more than nine million times in three generations.
The Punto was unveiled 30 years ago at Fiat's former Lingotto plant in Turin and made its public debut at the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the Fiat Punto was the successor to the Uno, which for a time was the best-selling vehicle in the B segment throughout Europe. To produce the new model, Fiat built a completely new plant in Melfi in southern Italy at a cost of 5.6 trillion lire (around 5.9 billion deutschmarks at the time). The factory, designed by architect Marco Visconti, introduced revolutionary production methods on an area of almost 1.9 million square meters by integrating subcontractors in the same complex and with direct links to the actual vehicle production. In later years, the Fiat Punto, which was voted Europe's "Car of the Year" in 1995, was also built at the Mirafiori plant in Turin, near Palermo in Sicily, and at Tichy in Poland.
The first-generation Fiat Punto was offered as a three- or five-door sedan and as a convertible. Compared to its predecessor, the Uno, the Punto was roomier and more comfortable with a variable trunk that offered up to 1080 liters of volume with the rear seat folded down. In the interior, there were some features that until then had been reserved for vehicles in higher segments.
There was a choice of six engine variants. The naturally aspirated gasoline engines had displacements between 1.1 and 1.6 liters and produced between 54 hp (40 kW) in the Fiat Punto 55 and 90 hp (65 kW) in the Punto 90. The top model was the Punto GT with 133 hp (98 kW) from a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine. A 1.7-liter turbodiesel with 70 hp (51 kW) output worked in the Fiat Punto TD, which was joined by a naturally aspirated diesel with 57 hp (42 kW) output in 1994. The Fiat Punto decelerated with front disc brakes and rear drum brakes. In the top model Fiat Punto GT discs were also used on the rear axle, on the front axle they were internally ventilated.
From 1994 also as a convertible
The design of the four-seater convertible offered from 1994 also came from Giugiaro, but it was built by Bertone. Over the years, special model variants followed, such as the Punto HSD with particularly comprehensive safety equipment, the Selecta with electrically controlled continuously variable transmission (ECVT) and the Sporting with a shorter gear ratio for sportier driving. In 1997, there was the first facelift and later a 1.2-liter gasoline engine with a four-valve cylinder head and 85 hp (63 kW) supplemented the engine range. The naturally aspirated diesel disappeared from the range, while the turbodiesel was available in two power levels with 63 hp or 69 hp (46 kW/51 kW). Around 3.4 million units of the first generation Fiat Punto were built.
The second generation of the series (Type 188) was launched in July 1999, just in time for the brand's 100th birthday. The design was the responsibility of the in-house Centro Stile Fiat, which gave the three-door version a sporty, dynamic look and the five-door version a more elegant line - thus clearly distinguishing the two model versions externally. The basic engine produced 60 hp (44 kW) from a displacement of 1.2 liters as a two-valve unit and 80 hp (59 kW) as a four-valve unit. In the Punto HGT, a 1.8-liter 16V gasoline engine with 131 hp (96 kW) provided sporty propulsion. From 2001, this engine was also available in the Punto Abarth, with which Fiat revived a brand rich in tradition at the time. The Fiat Punto 1.9 JTD (59 kW/80 hp) was the first small car to feature a turbodiesel with common-rail direct injection. Without a turbocharger, the 1.9-liter four-cylinder produced 60 hp (44 kW).
Other innovations in the second Punto generation included a revised rear axle, the electronically controlled Speedgear automatic transmission that allowed manual gear changes, and Dualdrive power steering. The City mode, activated at the push of a button, increased electric assistance so that parking maneuvers, for example, were particularly easy. A so-called kit car version of the HGT was developed for use in rallying, which was reduced to 1.6 liters of displacement in accordance with the regulations, but produced more than 215 hp (158 kW). The Fiat Punto Rally - from 2004 Fiat Punto Abarth Rally - celebrated numerous successes in the World Championship and in national championships, including in Germany with the Wolfgang Müller/Katharina Schreck team entered by the importer.
In May 2003, the small Fiat received larger headlights as well as a different radiator grille and a new hood. Two turbodiesels introduced the Multijet technology, which was new in the small car sector at the time; they produced 70 hp (51 kW) as the 1.3 16V Multijet and 100 hp (74 kW) as the 1.9-liter variant. A 90 hp (70 kW) 1.4-liter gasoline engine was also new. The five-door Punto was also available as a Natural Power variant of the 1.2-liter four-cylinder engine for natural gas. Depending on the model version, the was equipped with manual five- or six-speed transmission or two different automatic transmissions. "Speedgear" designated a continuously variable CVT transmission that simulated a manual transmission with six or even seven gears in an additional shift gate and allowed gear changes without a clutch. "Dualogic" was the name for an electronically controlled transmission that offered a choice of two modes: Automatic and manual.
Standard safety equipment at this time included airbags for the driver and front passenger, ABS, traction control and ESP. Satellite navigation and the radio with integrated MP3 player and CD changer heralded a new level of infotainment. The second generation Fiat Punto was offered in selected countries for several years after the presentation of the third generation. A total of around 2.6 million units were produced.
From the Grande to the Evo
The third model generation from 2005 onwards bore the name Grande Punto (model series 199) and was significantly larger than its predecessor. The body, which was standardized for three- and five-door models, was around 20 centimeters longer than the previous five-door model, with a five-centimeter longer wheelbase. In terms of equipment and features, the Fiat Grande Punto was also more in line with the C segment than the B segment. The body design was the result of collaboration between Centro Stile Fiat and Italdesign-Giugiaro. There was a choice of 1.2 8V (48 kW/65 hp) and 1.4 8V (57 kW/77 hp) gasoline engines and two turbodiesels with Multijet direct injection, each in two power ratings: 1.3 liters with 75 hp (55 kW) and 90 hp (66 kW) respectively, and 1.9 Multijet with 120 hp (88 kW) and 130 hp (96 kW) respectively. The Grande Punto was also available as a rally car with a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine and all-wheel drive. The Fiat Grande Punto S2000 - from 2008 as the Abarth Grande Punto S2000 - won numerous national titles and the European Rally Championship four times.
In 2009, the model-modified Punto Evo replaced the Grande. The basis remained the same, but the new Evo designation was intended to emphasize technical progress. One new feature, for example, was a 1.4-liter gasoline engine with Multiair technology, in which the conventional steel camshaft on the intake side was replaced by variably controllable hydropneumatics. From 2008, the Fiat Grande Punto Abarth with 150 hp (114 kW) formed the performance peak, with a 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine under the hood. In addition, Fiat offered a tuning kit for this engine, which raised the output to 180 hp (132 kW). Also on offer: 1.4-liter gasoline engines that also ran on natural gas (CNG) or autogas (LPG). The Evo had seven airbags as standard, including a knee airbag for the driver's side.
For the 2012 model year, now again with the Fiat Punto name, the engine range was completely changed over to the Euro 6 emissions standard and expanded to include the two-cylinder Twin Air turbo, which produced 84 hp (62 kW) from 0.9 liters of displacement and then 105 hp (77 kW) a year later. Other new features included the Blue & Me infotainment system, which allowed smartphones to be integrated into the onboard electronics via Bluetooth, and the Eco-Drive software, which analyzed individual driving styles and helped to optimize them with a view to reducing fuel consumption and environmental impact.
The last of more than nine million Fiat Punto produced rolled off the production line in Melfi on August 11, 2018. The year before, Euro NCAP had subjected it to its crash test once again - primarily to document the progress that had been made in automotive safety to date, as the basic design of the last Punto also dated back to 2005. (aum)
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