Fiat unveiled the Tipo in 1988 as a replacement for the aged Ritmo, who was on the market for ten years.
It was available only as a 5-door version.

Fiat considered that a hatchback had to have five doors appealing to families, and it sees no reason for making it with three doors. Later on, in 1993, it understood that 3-doors hatchbacks were a big part of the market and fixed their mistake. But for five years, the 5-door was the only option to go for a Tipo.

The car was designed by I.DE.A institute by a former lead-designer from Zagato, Ercole Spada. He used straight or slightly curved lines to create an appealing look for the Tipo. Moreover, it designed it to be built as a sedan and still keep most of the body panels. The wrap-around plastic bumper visually enhanced the rectangular headlights and flat front fascia. A slightly ascending beltline ran across the vehicle up to the D-pillar since the Tipo featured an additional glass area behind the rear doors.

Inside, the designer followed the straight-lines theme from the exterior and imagined a dashboard with long and flat surfaces. Even the instrument cluster was designed with angular lines with a grid pattern in the background.

Under the hood, Fiat installed a wide choice of engines. There were six gasoline and three diesel versions. The latter was on an ascending trend on the market, and hence Fiat’s expertise in compression ignition engines was big. It didn’t want to lose those customers.