Is the Toro another 4x4 ute for the Aussie market?

The tsunami of new 4x4 utes rolls on unabated, with the unveiling overnight of the Fiat Toro in Brazil.

To be built in and specifically marketed for emerging regions such as South America, the Toro is not slated for an appearance in Australia any time soon, but that doesn’t rule it out for future inclusion here.

“The Toro is currently made for international markets, but at this point in time there are no plans to include it in our line up,” FCA spokesman Andrew Chesterton tells 4x4 Australia.

Going on sale in South America in 2016, the Jeep Renegade-based Fiat Toro will be powered by a choice of FCA’s own four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines and will be available in 4x4 and 4x2 models, in three specifications. At just 4.9 meters in length it is smaller than the popular utes such as Ranger/BT50, Hilux and Amarok, and with its passenger car underpinnings it wouldn’t handle the same sort of payloads.

Back in June, it was announced that Fiat would share Mitsubishi’s MQ Triton platform to create a full-frame ute to compete in the popular one-tonne ute segment, which is booming at present. The Fiat-Mitsubishi tie-up is reminiscent of the Nissan- Renault and Mercedes Benz link, wherein a Renault built on Nissan Navara NP300 underpinning will go on sale in 2016, and a Mercedes Benz ute with the same architecture is expected in 2017. The Triton-based Fiat ute is expected to see the light of day in 2016, but there are no plans for it in Australia.

FCA Australia is still thought to be keen on the RAM 1500 pick-up for Australia some time down the track, but that vehicle is currently not made in right-hand drive (RHD). A semi factory-backed full-size RAM 2500 goes on sale here later this year – it’ll be imported, converted to RHD, and distributed via FCA New Zealand and Ateco Automotive.