Latin bonus models

After being in production for almost 14 years, the Fiat Punto has finally been tested by Euro NCAP. There it was awarded zero stars.

Fiat Punto

The Fiat Punto 3 was launched as a 2005 model and is still in production. It is no longer imported into Norway, but sold on the continent. Sales figures have fallen from 400 a year to I 62.000 2016. For 2017, the numbers seem to end at around 50.000. The decline is not only due to the fact that the Punto has started to age, but also to competition from mini-SUVs, crossovers and high-built small cars. Perhaps that is why Fiat chose to launch the Fiat 500L and 500X? I suspect that the new projects have been given higher priority in the group than Punto.

I'm not sure if the 500L is any real competitor to the Punto. Seen from Southern European eyes, the Punto is tough, sporty, potent and, not least, an alright family car - while the 500L appears as a kinder, more feminine car. If we combine the sales figures for all three models, 500L, 500X and Punto, they are lower than what the Punto 3 alone sold in the first glorious years of its life. I wonder if it would not have been more profitable for Fiat to develop a new Punto instead of spinoff models of the 500?

Many of the greatest successes in car history were produced for years under the principle "never change a winning horse". Today, 7 years is considered a normal life cycle. With almost 14 years behind it, the Punto has had an extra life cycle - an extra bonus life. This has contributed to Fiat being able to keep prices low. Bonus for Fiat and bonus for customers.

Fiat are not the only ones offering bonus models in the Punto class. There are several examples, such as these three French ones, - which are not only bonus models, but which also received as many stars as the Punto when they were tested by Euro NCAP around the year 2000.

Citroen C3

Citroën C3 version 1 was produced between 2002 and 2009. In 2009, the characteristic bowl-like profile was replaced by version 2. An apparently new C3, sleeker and more modern than its predecessor. What many do not know is that Citroën "cut the corner" and saved development costs by letting the new C3 inherit its predecessor's platform and structure. When the first C3 was tested by Euro NCAP in 2002, it scored a respectable 4 stars. Citroën considered the safety from 2002 to be good enough for another new model cycle. They were right in that. Just after the "new" C3 went on sale, Euro NCAP ran the car through its new, extended test programme. C3 achieved good results – again this time 4 stars.

Peugeot 206+

The Peugeot 206 was produced between 1998 and 2009. Then came the Peugeot 207. That did not prevent PSA from producing old and new models side by side. The designers made a bonus model of the 206, called the 206+. It got Peugeot's distinctive jaw-like grill and its lifespan extended by 4 years. The Peugeot 206 was tested in 2000 and received 4 stars then. The new Peugeot 206+ was never tested again.

Renault Clio II Campus

Renault Clio II saw the light of day in 1998. When the new Clio III was presented in 2005, Renault made some simple design changes to the Clio II and continued to produce it in France until 2012 under the name "Clio Campus". The Clio Campus looked more modern than the 1998 model, but under the skin it shared the crashworthiness of the 1998 model which had been awarded 4 stars in 2000. Euro NCAP never tested the Clio Campus at any later date.

Back to the Fiat Punto

The Fiat Punto was tested in the year 2000. Not with the current model, but with the predecessor, version 2. It received 4 stars as the above bonus cars. Today's Punto came out in 2005 - but was never tested by Euro NCAP when it was new. It was first tested now in 2017. It saw the light of day several years before Euro NCAP began to emphasize side collisions in its test program. Fiat has kept the Punto alive with its very latest engines, including the two-cylinder TwinAir engine of 105 HP. Had Fiat upgraded the Punto with safety equipment also, it could have received a more decent score. Euro NCAP penalizes anyone who does not offer side airbags as standard equipment.

No one at Fiat would have dreamed that Euro NCAP would take an interest in the Punto now. I am convinced that the Punto 3 is at least as safe as its predecessor, which received 4 stars in 2000. If the other bonus cars were tested today, they would probably end up with the same result as the Punto.