More recently, Fiat already had a frame pickup truck: the 2016 Fiat Fullback model was a slightly reshaped Mitsubishi L200 truck. These cars were produced at the Mitsubishi plant in Thailand, but demand turned out to be modest and in 2019 the Fullback ingloriously disappeared from the range. Now Fiat is introducing a frame pickup truck again, but its origin and market prospects are completely different.
The new Fiat Titano is also a badge engineering product, but the Japanese have nothing to do with it now. The donor was the Peugeot Landtrek pickup truck of the 2020 model, which itself is a kind of Chinese truck Kaicene F70 from Changan. This car was developed within the framework of the already closed Changan PSA joint venture, although the French contribution was modest and concerned only the design. Nevertheless, the Chinese side continues to produce Peugeot Landtrek pickups even after the liquidation of the joint venture, and, in addition to finished cars, China makes machine kits for assembly in Latin America and Africa. And now the Fiat Titano will be added to this production program.
Peugeot Landtrek
Visually, it differs from the Peugeot Landtrek pickup truck exclusively in decorative elements. Fiat has a different radiator grille, its own nameplates, as well as a modified wheel design. At the same time, the characteristic Peugeot LED “whiskers” of the running lights are preserved. The entire salon has not yet been shown, but it is clear from the teasers with fragments of the interior that there will be changes at the level of nuances.
The debut markets for Titano will be Brazil and Algeria (Fiat returned to this country only last spring). Europe, which was almost the main market for the Fullback model, is out of the question this time. A different set of modifications has been prepared for different regions. For example, in Africa, Fiat will rely on simple working versions with a Chinese 1.9 turbodiesel (150 hp, 350 Nm). Peugeot pickups also have such an engine.
In South America, the Titano will appear only in expensive versions with a double-row cabin. The production of cars for the local market will be handled by Nordex in Uruguay, which already conducts contract assembly of Ford, Kia, Citroen and Peugeot cars (including Landtrek). Moreover, it was previously reported that the French turbodiesel 2.2 (180 hp, 370-400 Nm), familiar from vans and minibuses of the Stellantis concern, will be adapted specifically for the overseas Titano. However, these engines began to be installed on Peugeot Landtrek pickups of the Uruguayan assembly in the summer, so this is no longer a fiat exclusive.
The Landtrack also has a 2.4 gasoline turbo engine (licensed Chinese Mitsubishi 4K22) with a capacity of 210 hp, but there is no information about the appearance of this unit on Fiat yet. All engines are combined with both “mechanics” and a six-speed “automatic”. The drive is rear—mounted or hard-wired full, there is a rear differential lock: everything is traditional for such machines. The Fiat Titano will be fully declassified and will enter the market in the coming months.