Fiat Fastback concept does its best BMW X6 impression

It could spawn a production model after 2020.

Fiat brought some Teutonic flair to the Sao Paolo auto show. It unveiled a concept car plainly named Fastback that joins BMW's X6 and X4 in surfing the crossover-coupe wave.

This Fiat wasn't born in Turin; the Italian auto-maker's Brazilian division designed the Fastback. Unburdened by heritage, stylists took the SUV in a bolder direction that channels the Toro pickup instead of the 500. The front end stands out with an aggressive design characterized by thin LED lights mounted high on the fascia and a wide grille adorned with a sizable Fiat emblem. The roof line gently slopes towards a rear end with horizontal lights and an integrated spoiler.

The cabin looks like it comes from a science fiction movie. The curved dashboard surrounds the front occupants like a cocoon while transparent, touch-sensitive screens replace every single knob, dial, and button found in modern-day Fiats. It illustrates one way the company could inject more technology into its cars in the coming years.

At this stage, the Fastback concept is merely a design study, not an official preview of an upcoming production model. It doesn't need to be functional. This explains the company hasn't published technical specifications. We don't know what platform it would be built on, either, though sources speculate the 500X's architecture could accommodate a Fastback-like model.

It won't remain a concept for long. Motor1 reports the president of FCA's Latin American division promised to invest about $2.1 billion into the group's Brazilian operation to modernize its entire line-up. The product offensive will likely include a Fastback concept-inspired model, according to Motor1. If that's accurate, it won't reach showrooms until 2020 at the very earliest. There's no word yet on whether the model will be sold outside of Brazil.

Clearly, the crossover-coupe style isn't reserved for premium brands anymore. Renault and Volkswagen-owned Skoda will both enter the segment in the coming years.