The 2021 Fiat Mobi Pickup is an upcoming utility vehicle based on the Mobi, a city car that the Italian firm produces exclusively for the South American market. Just like the Mobi, this small pickup truck will be produced in Brasil and sold in South America only. Heavily related to the Fiat Fiorino, it will replace the Strada, a small pickup related to the Fiat Palio. The Strada is sold in Mexico as the Ram 700. The Mobi Pickup, which might have a different name when it arrives, will be Fiat's second truck in showrooms after the Toro. Spotted testing in early 2020, the Mobi Pickup will probably break cover later in 2020, most likely at the Sao Paulo Motor Show in November.

Exterior

The interesting thing about the test vehicle is that it doesn't feature the usual swirly camouflage we see on most prototypes. Fiat went with a more old-school camo with panels that cover most body features. This means there's very little to see. Heck, this thing looks like a Tesla Cybertruck mock-up. Not only the front fascia is camouflaged like the vehicle is about to star in a Mad Max movie, but the rear end is also masked completely in rectangular panels.

Fortunately, the pickup is based on the Mobi and we know what the hatchback looks like. And I expect the front end to be almost identical. The pickup will probably feature the same 3D grille with the familiar "Fiat" badge in the center and organic looking headlamps that extend well into the front fenders. The fog lamps seem to be position in the same place as on the city car, but the center bumper vent could be different on the pickup. Fiat will probably go with a more rugged appearance.

Onto the sides we can see a side skirt character line that raises toward the rear. This feature is borrowed from the regular Mobi, so these vehicles should be almost identical from the nose to the C-pillars. We can also see that this truck has four doors, a notable upgrade compared to the two-door Fiat Strada. On the flipside, the pickup rides notably higher than the regular Mobi and the wheel arches seem beefier too.

The C-pillar is obviously thinner than the hatchback's, as it no longer incorporates a tailgate. Instead, it runs into a utilitarian looking bed that's slightly smaller than the Toro's. The taillights seem a bit different on the truck. Unless they're just prototype lights, expect this pickup to feature simple, rectangular taillights. Despite the camo, we can see a simple and clean lower fascia with a separate bumper.

As far as the bed goes, the Mobi Pickup is smaller than the Toro, so cargo capacity should be inferior to the compact truck. The Toro's bed provides 820 liters (29 cubic feet) of space, so the Mobi Pickup will probably come in at around 750 liters (26.5 cubic feet). That would be more than the Volkswagen Saveiro, which features a 580-liter (20.5-cubic-foot) bed.

Interior

There are no spy shots of the interior here, but since the truck is based on the Mobi, it's safe to assume that its interior will be similar as well. Being a really affordable car, the Mobi is far from fancy inside the cabin. While most modern vehicles feature clean dashboards, the Mobi comes with a cluttered center stack with various controls on the upper and lower sections. That's because the infotainment display is really small and doesn't work like a touchscreen, so you need loads of buttons and knobs to control the features. The instrument cluster is also simple and straightforward, with only a small display inside an analog clock.

This design should work well with the pickup version since trucks are spartan by definition. The seats aren't particularly comfortable and lateral support is limited by really small bolsters, but legroom and headroom are decent up front. However, the hatchback is really cramped in the rear compartment when it comes to legroom and headroom and that's not likely to change in the truck model. The pickup's wheelbase seems a bit longer, but some of it goes into the bed.

Drivetrain

The Mobi Pickup will probably share engines with other Fiat models built in Brazil. The Mobi hatchback and the Fiorino panel van are the likely candidates here. The Mobi is available with a couple of 1.0-liter engines, one with four cylinders and the other one with three. Fiat might skip the three-pot for the pickup, so expect to find the four-cylinder under the hood. A flexi-fuel mill, which means that it can work on either gasoline or ethanol, this engine cranks out up to 75 horsepower and 72 pound-feet of torque in the regular unit. The engine could generate more in the pickup version.

Finally, the 1.8-liter four-cylinder from the Strada should also make it in the Mobi Pickup as the range-topping option. This four-cylinder generates 128 horsepower and 134 pound-feet on gasoline and 130 horses and 136 pound-feet on ethanol.

Things should remain simple in the transmission department with a five-speed manual. Although most trucks feature all-wheel-drive systems, the Mobi Pickup might not get one. Its predecessor, the Fiat Strada (Ram 700) is also a front-wheel drive pickup.

Prices

With the Mobi Pickup set to replace the Strada, it should have a similar sticker. The Strada starts from R$54,900 in Brazil, which converts to around $13,100 as of January 2020. The Mobi Pickup should come in at around R$56,700 (or about $13,500) before options.

Competition

Volkswagen Saveiro

While some automakers, like Ford, dropped their small pickups in recent years, Volkswagen continues to offer the Saveiro in Brazil. Based on the Gol, which is similar to the Polo, the Saveiro is basically a hatchback with a bed. But unlike the Mobi Pickup, it's only available as a two-door model, with either a regular or an extended cab. The Saveiro draws juice from a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that motivates almost all Volkswagens offered in Brazil. The engine generates 103 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque in the regular Saveiro and 120 horses and 122 pound-feet of twist in the Cross variant. All versions of the Saveiro feature a five-speed manual transmission. Pricing for this pickup truck starts from R$53,150, which converts to around $12,655.

Chevrolet Montana

In production since 2003, the Chevrolet Montana was originally based on the Opel Corsa, but it now shares underpinnings with the Chevrolet Agile. A smaller and much more affordable option to the Chevrolet S10 (Colorado in the U.S.), the Montana competes in the same market with the Fiat Mobi Pickup and the Volkswagen Saveiro. But unlike the Mobi, it's only available in a two-door format. The Montana boasts the highest payload capacity in its segment (756 kg or 1,666 pounds). Engine options include a 1.4-liter four-cylinder rated at 105 horsepower and 97 pound-feet of torque and a 1.8-liter four-banger that produces 108 horses and 124 pound-feet of twist. Pricing for the Montana starts from $56,290 (around $13,400).

Conclusion

The Fiat Strada has been a successful vehicle in Brazil, so this new Mobi-based pickup has a big pair of shoes to fill. It's too early to say whether it will be as successful as its predecessor or not, but it definitely brings new and important things on the table. For starters, it will be offered in a four-door, extend cab body style. Not only this makes it better than the Strada, but it also puts it above competitors from Volkswagen and Chevrolet. Above that, it should have better features and technology than the Strada.