FIAT has announced that its new Sedici SUV model will cost from just £12,495 when it arrives here later this month.
There will be a choice of two trim levels, Dynamic and Eleganza, and initially just a 107bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission.
Later this year there will be a 120bhp 1.9-litre turbodiesel option with a six-speed manual gearbox.
The Sedici is Fiat's first entry in the compact Sport Utility Vehicle market, which has risen from 1.7 per cent of the European total in 1992 to the current level of more than six per cent.
Designed by the Italian style house of Giorgetto Giugiaro, the sexy-sounding Sedici's Italian name simply means 16. It is taken from the 4x4 drivetrain.
The important newcomer is the result of a collaboration between Fiat and Suzuki, whose SX4 model went on sale recently.