The Fiat Duna (Type 155) is a small family car produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat in Argentina and Brazil, where it was sold under the name Fiat Prêmio. Launched in 1985 in Brazil, the Duna/Prêmio is based on the Brazilian Fiat Uno, but unlike the Uno, it was initially offered as a two-door sedan.
Overview
The Duna was produced in several body styles over its production life. The range was expanded with a three-door estate in 1987 called the Fiat Elba (or Duna Weekend), a four-door sedan added in 1987, and a five-door estate in 1989. The car was sold primarily in South America.
Production and Markets
- Brazil: The Prêmio was presented in late 1985. Fiat produced the Duna and Prêmio at its Betim factory from 1985 to 1995. In 1987, the Elba three-door estate was released with a 1.5L engine, replacing the old Fiat Panorama (based on the Fiat 147). A four-door sedan was added in 1988, and a five-door Elba estate followed in 1989.
- Argentina: The four-door Duna was released in 1987. From 1990, it became the best-selling car in the Argentine market for nearly six years. It was commonly used as a taxi, predominantly with compressed natural gas (CNG) conversions. Fiat produced the Duna and Duna Weekend at the Sevel factory in El Palomar until 2000, with a total of 257,559 units built there.
- Italy: The sedan and estate were sold in Italy as the Duna and Duna Weekend from 1987 to 1991. They continued to be sold in Italy until 1997, but with Innocenti badging.
Innocenti Elba
The Innocenti Elba was a rebadged version of the Fiat Elba estate. It replaced the Fiat Duna Weekend in 1991 for the Italian market and continued to be offered until 1997. It was the last car sold under the Innocenti marque. In 1990, Fiat had acquired the remains of the Innocenti concern and pursued a strategy of importing basic Fiat models from low-cost non-Italian Fiat subsidiaries, badging them as Innocentis to differentiate them from the company's Italian-built Fiat-badged cars.
Commercial Variants
A panel version of the three-door estate was sold as the Fiat Penny. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, and New Zealand, a right-hand drive model was marketed as the "Fiat Citivan." This version usually had a 41 kW (56 PS; 55 hp) 1116 cc inline-four engine. Made only in Brazil, the panel van was never available in the home market to avoid internal competition from the Fiorino.
Engines and Specifications
The Duna was offered with a range of petrol engines (1116 cc, 1301 cc, 1497 cc, and 1581 cc) and a diesel engine (1697 cc). Transmissions were 4- and 5-speed manual. The sedan measured approximately 4,035 mm in length, while the estate was approximately 4,045 mm.
Notable Achievement
In July 1989, the Duna established 17 South American records over 25,000 km on the Rafaela speedway, after driving for a total time of 170 hours and 44 minutes at an average speed of 148.4 km/h (91 mph). The vehicles chosen for the test were three Duna SCV models with a 1.5-litre engine producing 60 kW (82 PS; 81 hp).
Succession
Production ended in 2000, and the Duna and Elba models were replaced by the Fiat Siena and the Fiat Palio Weekend. The Duna was not sold in the United Kingdom as a passenger car, though the Citivan commercial variant was available there.
