fiat L0

Resurrecting plans for production after they were frozen in 2009 due to the global recession, Fiat is set to build its L0 five-seat mini-MPV, effectively the replacement for the current Fiat Idea, at its factory in Kragujevac, Serbia.

The vehicle will sit on a Fiat 500 platform, but which is longer and wider than that of the two-door compact. You could of course call it a 500 with a tail, as the impression suggests. The current Idea, as well as the Lancia Musa, is underpinned by a chassis used in the second-generation Punto.

Fiat Automobili Srbija, which in the past was where state-owned automaker Zastava assembled Yugos, will build the five-seat MPV for the European market, as well as a seven-seater L0 version for both European and US markets, beginning the second quarter of 2012 after test production takes place next year.

The plant will have an output capacity of 200,000 cars a year, with possible expansion to 300,000 vehicles if demand increases.