New Fiat Tipo expected as a petrol and electric family SUV

• New SUV bodystyle
• Petrol and electric powertrains expected
• Due to arrive by 2025

You may be forgiven for thinking the Fiat Tipo had ended production years ago as UK sales have well and truly slowed for the Italian family hatchback, which is overshadowed by rivals such as the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra and Volkswagen Golf.

With many buyers now leaving the family hatchback market in favour of more fashionable SUVs, Fiat has told us it's ready to announce plans to overhaul and reinvent the struggling Tipo into a people-pleasing family SUV.

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Speaking to our sister publication Auto Express, Fiat boss Olivier François said one of the company's main missions was to offer “room, room, room – space for the money, ingenuity when it comes to little things that simplify your life while using the car for the whole family.”

“We need to replace the Tipo. Don’t torture me about bodystyle, but it’s going to cross over the traditional segmentations, as everyone does now. So it’s a little bit SUV-ish, but in an innovative way.”

So, what will the new car look like? Well, our exclusive renders predict what we can expect to see from the new car, incorporating several elements from Fiat models currently sold across the globe. Similar to the Fiat Pulse – an SUV that’s sold primarily in South America – the new Tipo is likely to get a much sharper LED headlight design, converging into a large grille, stamped with ‘FIAT’ lettering.

The only version of the Tipo currently on sale, the Tipo Cross gets a slightly raised suspension setup, as well as rugged-looking wheel arch cladding; the Tipo SUV is likely to get even more prominent exterior trim, as well as SUV-esque roof rails and skid plate-like trim pieces to give the car a much tougher stance.

On the inside, we can expect the new Tipo to get Fiat’s latest 10-inch infotainment system – as seen in the new Fiat 500 EV. This would mark a big step up over the current Tipo’s seven-inch system and will help the car compete with hi-tech rivals such as the Kia Niro.

Despite parent brand Stellantis readying itself to debut its new STLA electric car architecture, the new Fiat Tipo is likely to sit on the outgoing CMP platform, which already underpins the likes of the Citroen C4 and Peugeot 208.

This isn’t all bad, however, as utilising older underpinnings should help keep costs low. Furthermore, as is showcased by the Vauxhall Corsa — as well as those models mentioned above — CMP is also compatible with fully-electric powertrains, hinting that we may also see a plug-in Tipo at some stage down the line.

We don’t have long to wait for the new Tipo, either, as François also confirmed the new car is set to arrive by 2025. This isn’t the only new Fiat on the horizon, as a fully-electric version of the Panda is expected to make its debut in the next few years, while a stylish plug-in Fiat 500X EV is also rumoured to make an appearance by the end of 2023.

Looking for a spacious family car? Check out our list of the top 10 best medium-size and family SUVs