When the budget sedan market evolved in Europe, the main carmakers started to offer different options.
Thus, models like the Renault Clio Symbol/Thalia, Skoda Fabia Sedan or the Fiat Albea started appearing everywhere.

The Albea was based on the Fiat Punto platform and shared some components with it. The second generation of the Albea is more than a facelift but less than a new model. The front of the vehicle was changed but the huge trunk remained. In the quest of offering the biggest cargo space in its class, of 515 liters (18.2 cu-ft), the Italians made the rear end high enough to limit the rear visibility.

The simple suspension layout and the small engines made the car fit for markets where everything with over 1.5 liters had high taxes. The engine range had 5 units: four with gasoline and one turbodiesel. The power ranged between 60 and 103 hp. Only a manual transmission was available and it was geared for fuel-efficiency.

The interior space was limited due to the small wheelbase, and the option list was slim. Air conditioning was offered as standard only on the diesel or on the upper trim level. But the upper trim level were offered only with selected engines, and not with the basic 1.2-liter 60 hp version.

Designed to compete against the Renault Thalia/Symbol and Skoda Fabia Sedan, the three-box Fiat was built in Turkey and sold at a very low price.
In some markets, the price of a car was the most important factor in the buying decision. For those customers, Fiat introduced the Albea in 2002. It was built on the same platform as the Punto. The Italians tried to make the car look as good as possible for its car category and employed Giorgetto Giugiaro to draw its lines.

Despite being a low-cost sedan, the Albea showed a stylish front fascia with a distinctive design. Unlike the Renault Thalia/Clio Symbol or the Skoda Fabia Sedan, it didn’t look like a 3-box Fiat Punto. It featured slim headlights and grille, and a tall bumper hosted a smiling, open area on the lower side and a pair of fog-lights. The tall greenhouse and sloped trunk didn’t look too good for its size, but it was the best what Giugiaro could do, considering the overall dimensions. Fiat offered the vehicle with 14” steel wheels on the base model, but on the upper trim level, it fitted a set of 15” light-alloy wheels.

Inside, the two-tone dashboard design, with the interesting looking air-vents on the center stack, definitely looked different than its competitors. Not necessarily better, but different. Cloth upholstery and simple seats were installed inside. Due to the short wheelbase, the rear passengers struggled to find some legroom. The power-windows were on the options list, and the same went for the air-conditioning system.

Under the hood, the Albea featured a choice of three gasoline engines that offered up to 103 hp for the most potent version. All of them were paired to a 5-speed manual, but a CVT was available on selected markets.