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1996–2002 Launched in 1996 in Brazil, as part of Fiat's "Project 178", the Palio was Fiat's first attempt to build a
world car, the same basic design produced in numerous nations around the globe. Four principal models were produced: hatchback, sedan, pickup, and station wagon, with different versions built for different markets. The powerplants, both diesel and petrol, also varied from region to region depending on local production capability, legislation, and market requirements. The basic chassis was a development of the European
Fiat Uno but little remained unchanged. The entire structure was significantly stronger to be suitable on the rougher roads found in some of the markets for which it was intended. The suspension layout, as on the Uno, consisted of MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear, even though the Weekend (station wagon) version had the fully independent trailing arms rear end from the
Fiat Punto instead. The body was a completely new design by the
I.DE.A Institute of
Turin, which also designed the new interior. Some engines were also coming from other Fiat models, such as the
Punto and the
Bravo. Production began in 1996 in Brazil and was followed later that year by a plant in
Argentina. In 1997, production started in
Venezuela,
Poland for the European market, and
Morocco (at the Somaca plant) whilst
Turkey started building the same car in 1998. In
India, assembly was at Pune in the new Fiat-
Tata Motors factory and in
South Africa by
Nissan together the pickup version called
Fiat Strada. Production in India and South Africa began in 1999, in Egypt in 2001, and in
China in 2002. The Palio Weekend station wagon was launched in 1996 in Brazil and later in Europe. The station wagon is the version most commonly sold in Europe.
2000–2006 In 2000, the model had its first facelift. The facelift was designed by the
Italian automobile designer
Giorgetto Giugiaro. This facelift included new front and rear fasciae and a brand new interior. Also, new engines came for the Palio: the
Fire 16-valve 1.0-L and 1.2-L and the Sporting, a 1.6-L 16-valve engine with 120 hp made in Turkey. The 2001 Palio was the first Fiat to be made in China, by
Nanjing Automobile. In some markets, this generation included a
Speedgear CVT option. The Palio 2000 facelift is the ultimate version sold in Italy. In 2001, Fiat introduced for the South American market the
crossover version, called Palio Adventure and based on the Palio Weekend. In Europe, the Palio Weekend was succeeded in 2003 by the
Fiat Idea MPV.
Nanjing Fiat Palio In November 2001, the Chinese Fiat Palio debuted, with either the 1.2-L or the 1.5-L. The
Siena sedan was added in November 2002, followed by the Palio Weekend in June 2003. The Palio Weekend were not available with the smaller engine. A 1.6-L 72 kW weekend was planned but never been sold.
Safety rating A
Fiat Albea, the
sedan version of the Palio, was tested in
Russia according to the
Euro NCAP latest standard (offset frontal crash at 64 km/h). The Albea scored 8,5 points in the frontal test, equivalent to three stars. The tested vehicle was equipped with standard driver airbag and regular seatbelts. The Fiat Perla, the Chinese version of the Albea, was tested in
China by China-NCAP in three different tests: 100% front crash test with a wall (similar to the U.S.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration test), a 40% offset test (similar to Euro NCAP), and a side crash test. The Perla scored 8.06 points in the 100% frontal crash test, equivalent to three stars; 12.02 pts in the 40% offset crash test, equivalent to four stars, and 10,96 pts 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 airbags and regular seatbelts.
2004–2016 The second revision was released in 2004, designed again by Giorgetto Giugiaro. It is basically a facelift from the previous models. The 2004 Palio was the first Brazilian model in the B-segment available with four
airbags (two front airbags and two side airbags), parking assistance, and light and rain sensor. In Europe, the new model featured a redesigned front fascia and interior with rear fascia similar to Palio 2001 version. For the Brazilian market, there was also a sport version called the Palio 1.8R. This was equipped with a new version of the General Motors, 1.8-litre
X18XE engine rated at 115 hp (ethanol) and 112 hp (gasoline), lowered suspension, new 14-inch alloy wheels, new seats, and other sporting features. The third generation of the Palio had huge sales numbers, even getting higher sales in some months than the
VW Gol, the best-selling car in Brazil for over 24 years. It was sold as the Palio Fire Economy as a cheaper alternative to its posterior facelift, with alterations derived from the
Uno Mille Fire Economy model. The top model is Weekend Adventure version; it is equipped with a 1.8-L Powertrain Flex fuel engine with 112 hp (petrol/gasoline) and 114 hp (ethanol) at 5500 rpm, all-terrain Pirelli Citynet tires, and a higher/reinforced suspension kit but still with 4x2 drive. Fiat India manufactured the 2004 Palio, with 2001-version interiors, at the Ranjangaon plant along with the
Grande Punto and
Linea. After entering into a partnership with Tata Motors, the Palio was relaunched as the Palio Stile, with the 1.1 Fire, 1.6 Torque, and 1.3
Multijet engines. Sales were low, at hardly 200 units per month.
2007–2011 The last Palio facelift was launched in 2007, in
Natal, Brazil. The design of the body was inspired by the new version of the Grande Punto, which was launched in Brazil in the first quarter of 2008. This fourth facelift included a new front, rear, and side designs, but it kept the original chassis from the 1996 model, being marketed as the New Palio. It also has a minor change in the instrument panel with differences between the two variants sold. The trims for this new Palio are ELX with the 1.0- or the 1.4-L Fire engines, both flex (ethanol and petrol) and the "sporty" version 1.8R with the current revision of the
1.8-L 8-valve engine from GM, also flexible. The new Torque engines were added to the Palio after the launch of the Grande Punto. The Palio Adventure introduced the new
limited slip differential and new suspension for off-road with front-wheel drive. In 2011, after buying the Brazilian factory and the project of the
Tritec engine, Fiat modified it and launched its new line of 4 cylinder engines (E-Torq) in South America, being the 1.6 16V (114 HP) equipping all the family, and the 1.75 (sold as 1.8, 130 HP) equipping the Strada and Palio Weekend. In 2012 Palio and its LWB-sedan variant, Albea has been discontinued in Tofaş plant. In 2014 the station-wagon variant has been renamed as
Fiat Weekend, dropping the Palio name. ==Second generation (326; 2011)==