Fiat Bravo Xtreme at Sao Paulo Motor Show

Fiat has shown an extreme version of the Bravo – the Fiat Bravo Xtreme – at the Sao Paulo Motor Show in Brazil.

With the exception of the 500, Fiat’s cars in Europe are not exactly on a roll. Nothing new is really happening on the new model front with Sergio Marchionne hunkered down to try and weather the sales slump, but things are a bit brighter for Fiat in South America.

So the Sao Paulo Motor Show in Brazil is a chance, if not to show a new model, to show what can be done with a rather beige existing model – the Fiat Bravo.

Fiat in Brazil has revealed the Fiat Bravo Xtreme, a cosmetically titivated Bravo that shows what the Bravo could be if Fiat had the balls to do it for real.

An aggressive bodykit with a huge front grill, new front bumper and side vents with L:ED running lights turns the Bravo from boring hatch to interesting hatch. New headlights with LEDs and a new back bumper with diffuser and LED lights, side skirts and big  alloys completing the look.

Inside, Fiat has fitted four individual seats, an updated dash, new centre console, video screens in the headrests and a two colour instrument set with red for the rev counter and white for the rest.

Under the skin, Fiat has lowered the ride height and fitted stiffer shocks and springs and fitted an engine from the Copa Fiat (a Brazilian track event car) – a 1.4 litre 16v T-Jet engine offering 253bhp and 245lb/ft of torque.

It’s an impressive effort at making the Bravo appeal to a whole new market. Fiat should consider it seriously for the European market.