Good-bye Palio

It would be wrong to say, nobody will shed a tear when the Fiat Palio will die. I for one have always been a die-hard fan since the Palio 1.6 GTX made debut in India. Though expensive at 6+ lacs, it was an excellent value for money at its time. ABS and Airbags were optional but 100 horses were standard. Even cars like Accent and Lancer didnt have that kind of power.

The Palio has seen a lot in its lifespan in india. A high of 2000+ cars a month to a meagre 50-60 cars a month. Talk of style, power and rigidity to issues of Fuel Economy and spares and service issues. But one things was for sure, you may love it, you may hate it but you can never ignore it. The stile was a desperate but failed attempt to relive the car. Not surprisingly since Fiat India decided to do only half the job and didnt touch the interiors (the exteriors were never a point of complaint in the first place.)

Now that BS IV norms are pushing things south and with Fiat Punto taking over the baton from Palio, Fiat has decided to retire the aging workhorse and dedicate the assembly line to Punto. Now a car that once made Sachin proud and made Michael schumacher take notice deserves a small post. Doesnt it?