21.01.2005 LAST YEAR was a very good year for the Fiat Light Commercial Vehicles brand: over 307,000 vehicles were sold throughout the world, approximately 32,000 more than in 2003

2004 was a very good year for the Fiat Light Commercial Vehicles brand: over 307,000 vehicles were sold throughout the world, approximately 32,000 more than in 2003.

In Italy, with about 88,900 vehicles delivered and an overall market share of 40.2%, Fiat LCV confirmed its undisputed leadership of all the segments in which it is present.

13,670 units of the Punto Van were sold (a record among car-based vehicles), the Doblò Cargo recorded about 20,000 deliveries; the Scudo 8,200 units (up 7.7% on 2003), the Ducato over 35,000 (up 5.9%) and the Strada Pick-ups over 3,100.

In Europe as a whole (including Italy) the brand took outright third place in the sales league, with over 213,500 units delivered and an overall share for the year of 10.8%.

Fiat LCV is the leading imported brand in Germany (28,800 registrations and a market share of 11.2%) and France (21,300 registrations and 5.1% of the market). It also performed well, in terms of market share, in Poland (26%), Hungary (11.2%), Switzerland (10.9%), Greece (10.6%), Belgium (9.4%), Austria (8.8%) and Spain (7.7%).
 
Fiat Panda Van

The new Fiat Panda Van has joined the burgeoning Light Commerical Vehicle range
Fiat Ducato

An important addition to the Fiat LCV range during the year was the launch of the 146 bhp Ducato 2.8 JTD Power with a variable geometry turbine which took place in May


Outside Europe, Fiat LCV sales increased from 68,500 units in 2003 to over 93,500 in 2004 (up 36.6%). We should mention the good results in Turkey and Brazil in particular: in the former, the brand took 15% of the market, and sales increased from 20,000 in 2003 to over 37,000 last year. The Doblò is overall leader in its segment. 44,000 vehicles were delivered in Brazil, for a market share of 24.3%.

The most significant events for the brand in 2004 included the introduction of the Multijet engine on the Doblò Cargo in April. This revived the clientele’s interest in the model which achieved 45% of its segment in the second half of the year.

Another important novelty during the year was the launch of the 146 bhp Ducato 2.8 JTD Power with a variable geometry turbine which took place in May. This version now accounts for about 15% of the model mix, helping to consolidate its success on the market in 2004. The Ducato continues to gain ground all over Europe and is one of the leaders in its market segment with over 102,000 sales (up 4.6% on 2003). In 2004, the Fiat Ducato also confirmed its leadership of the recreational vehicle sector, accounting for 70% of the market.