Wednesday, July 13, 2011
By Pranjal Gera
Fiat's plans big for next year
So far this year Fiat Motors has remained a silent player in the Indian auto market and is expected to remain silent for the rest of the year. The Italian auto giants are expected to make amends in next year plans.
The company's plans start with the launch of revamped versions of Fiat Linea and Fiat Grande Punto. Then the company plans to launch a new small car in the hatchback segment. Fiat Motor's Research and Development unit at Turino, Italy is currently developing the car which will compete against the Hyundai i10, Ford Figo, Maruti Swift and Toyota Etios Liva. Fiat Motor's plant at Ranjangaon, Maharashtra will produce 85 per cent of the proposed car's components. In view of some experts, the car is expected to be as big as the Fiat Palio Stile in terms of size but will differ in design. The car will come in both MPFi petrol version and the CRDi diesel version and will be available in price bracket of INR 3 Lakhs to INR 3.5 Lakhs.
Rajeev Kapoor, President of said that the proposed car is currently under development and the company plans to reveal the car to Indian auto market next year. He further added that more details about the car will be shared when the appropriate time will come. He further hinted that the company is also looking at options such as Completely Build Units Route (CBU Route) to introduce another car in the Indian auto market.
The car expected to be coming through the CBU Route may be the Fiat Sedici as per some of the experts from the industry. Nobody knows what exactly the company has planned for the next year. All one can do is to wait and watch the companies moves.
