Since its 1993 introduction, Fiat has sold more than 8.5 million Punto model sub-compact cars.
Fiat will sell Jeep brand vehicles in India by late 2013 as part of a larger business plan to launch nine new or refreshed models under the Fiat and Jeep in the next few years. The first step will be the importation of the existing Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Grand Cherokee models, which will be arrive toward the end of 2013.
Jeep vehicles will be sold via a revised dealer group that will build from the existing Fiat dealer network. The Italian automaker will also expand its domestic production to include the sale of a new Fiat Linea classic edition and the new Fiat Punto, which is the best selling car in Italy. The company is currently selling the Linea and Punto models, which are manufactured by the Tata-Fiat joint venture. Fiat Group Automobiles India Private Limited will have around 100 employees and hopes to have 120 dealers by the end of 2013.
The announcement came during a recent visit with dealers in Mumbai by Mike Manley, Chief Operating Officer for Asia and President and CEO – Jeep Brand. Manley said the dealer network would be transformed from the current shared Tata Fiat dealers to approximately 120 independent dealers by 2013.
The Jeep vehicle line sold outside of North America includes Cherokee, Compass, Grand Cherokee, Patriot, Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited. To meet consumer demand around the world, all Jeep export models are available in right-hand-drive versions and with gasoline and diesel powertrain options.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
