Fiat India has rolled out 300,000th vehicle from its manufacturing unit located in Ranjangaon, Pune. Fiat also supplies petrol and diesel engines to various auto makers in India including Maruti Suzuki India and Tata Motors. In 2013, Fiat touched the mark of manufacturing 5,00,000 powertrains from its manufacturing unit.
Fiat currently has a scanty portfolio in India with just two models on offer, one is the upgraded Linea facelift which the company launched recently. Other then Linea, Fiat India offers Punto hatchback, a tweaked version of Punto is in the making which could be launched in India during the festive season. Besides, Punto facelift, Fiat will also launch Avventura crossover this year. At the 2014 Auto Expo, Fiat displayed Fiat Abarth 500 along with Punto facelift, Linea facelift and Avventura crossover. Abarth is the performance oriented sub brand of Fiat which will also be inducted in India. Abarth 500 will be brought in India as a completely built unit.
In wake of expanding its stable in India Fiat is also mulling over to bring few Chrysler cars in India which will be a part of premium segment. Chrysler models, if brought to India will be imported as CBUs, however the company could plan on assembling Chrysler cars in India provided the demand for these cars rise. However, the company is yet to decide on bringing Chrysler models to India, the final word is not out yet. Hopefully the new product line-up which Fiat is considering for India will help improving its sales.
Apart from inducting new cars in India, Fiat is also working aggressively towards expanding its dealership network. Company’s agreement with Tata Motors ended on March 31, 2013, since then Fiat has opened around 108 standalone showrooms in India. By the end of this year Fiat eyes opening 42 new dealerships in India taking the total number of its exclusive outlets to 150.
