How the Fiat Punto’s demise marked the rise of the SUV era

The lack of a Punto replacement points to a shift in European buying habits

The supermini was almost realised by Fiat in 1971 with its 127.
Almost, because this small, neat and peppy two-box fastback first appeared with a bootlid. A hatchback was optionally offered a year later, when the three-door Renault 5 was launched. 
These two defined the silhouette of the supermini from 1972 until now and doubtless well beyond, despite the hatchback’s losing battle with crossovers. 
The Fiat went further than the Renault with its epoch-making, because unlike the French car, its engine was arranged transversely, like a Mini’s, and its gearbox was hung off the end of the engine rather than stacked beneath it, unlike a Mini’s. 
The 127 wasn’t quite first with this near-universal front-drive arrangement, but the Fiat Group was testing the layout with the group’s 1966 Autobianchi Primula, a bigger hatchback, and the smaller A112 city car. 
The 127 and the Renault 5 looked chic, trendy and very now