Fiat, the Italian car maker, is making efforts to enhance its presence in India by setting up an exclusive network of dealers in the country after its 6 year long partnership with Tata Motors ended. The manufacturer is also considering bolstering its domestic portfolio by bringing its internationally available models to the country.
While inaugurating the first exclusive dealership of the company in Hyderabad on May 09, 2012, Enrico Atanasio, Head - Commercial, Fiat India said that the manufacturer had set a target of 20 outlets for the current year but is now looking to raise this figure. The manufacturer's first exclusive dealership in the domestic market is Tejaswi Motors, which is located in the posh Banjara Hills area of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh and will sell Linea and Punto models.
The car maker is also looking to establish a company to distribute cars in the domestic market. He stated, "We consider India as an important market and the company to be set up in near future will leverage this potential." Atanasio, who is expected to lead this new company, commented that the Italian manufacturer will build a real and stronger brand image through the upcoming dealership network. He said, "Fiat is one of the best known brands in the world market because of its past. It takes time to move from past to future. We need to train strong force and have right process and people.”
Through its joint venture with Tata Motors, the Indian division of Fiat rolls out 20,000 units on a yearly basis, which translates to a market share of just 0.7 per cent. He commented, "I expect a growing role for Fiat in India. Today we are 8 percent in European market, 18 percent in Latin America and 12 percent in USA market. There is no reason why we can't improve our current market situation (in India) which is much, much lower." However, he refused quote any numbers.
From mid-1950s to 1997, the company marketed its Fiat 1100 sedan in India, which initially came to the country as the 1100 Delight and then as Premier Padmini. Thereafter, it began rolling out the Fiat Uno in the domestic market, but did not achieve success. Presently, the car maker offers the Linea sedan as well as Palio and Punto hatchbacks in the country. It is also mulling over bringing new models from its global portfolio to India, which consists of Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep. Atanasio believes that the automobile major's performance has improved in the domestic market, primarily in the first quarter of 2012 as compared to the preceding quarter.
