Fiat Auto wants to significantly raise its level of exports to Germany - Europe's biggest new car market - and become one of the country's main car importers by the end of 2008, Werner Frey the CEO of Fiat Automobili AG, Fiat Auto's German operation has told Die Welt. "Our next goal is becoming one of the first three car exporters in Germany within 2007" he told the daily newspaper yesterday. Fiat Auto is currently the fourth biggest importer of cars into Germany, following Toyota, Renault and PSA Peugeot-Citroën.

According to Die Welt, Fiat Automobili AG sees the arrival of the new C-segment Bravo model in the second half of 2007, followed swiftly by the new Fiat 500 as being set to have a galvanising effect on German sales, building on the foundations put down this year by the highly successful Grande Punto. Fiat Automobili AG wants to see its sales rising from their current level of around 120,000 vehicles per year to 150,000 by the end of 2008, in the process raising their market share from 3.0 to 4.1 percent.

Fiat Auto continued their good recent new sales progress in Germany last month, bucking a market that fell overall by 2.7 percent (265,845 units). Fiat-branded vehicle sales were up by 18.2 percent year-on-year (5,984 units) in July as they took a 2.25 pct share of the total market.
 

Meanwhile the Alfa Romeo brand - with 1,153 cars sold - took an 0.43 pct share of the German market last month, up by 3.8 pct year-on-year; while the Lancia unit slid as with 212 units sold they took an 0.08 pct share, down by 8.2 pct year-on-year.

"After five years of losses Fiat Germany could make profits this year if the current trend continues" Werner Frey added in the newspaper interview. According to Frey, this year's turnover for Fiat Automobili AG will rise from 1.25 billion euros in 2005 to 1.85 billion euros, and Germany will become Fiat Auto's main foreign market. Werner H. Frey was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Fiat Automobili AG just over a year ago on 1st July 2005. At the time Frey - who started his automotive career with Adam Opel AG - was the Vice-President of Hyundai Europe. He took over from the previous incumbent Stephan Winkelmann who left Fiat to take over as President and CEO of Audi's Lamborghini brand in November 2004.