Over several tough days, surrounded by kilometre after kilometre of white sand, with the hot sun constantly beating overhead and to the backdrop of the arid desert landscape of Copiapó, the Fiat Panda 4x4 Climbing, a car with not only with an attractive design but also imbued with all-terrain vehicle benefits, has turned in a high performance of speed and reliability during the Raid Atacama 2007. This original 4x4 city car, beholden with the purest Italian spirit, is one of the string of models that Fiat has just brought to Chile, and which is part of the exciting new range with which the brand hopes to make inroads in the local market this year. The Raid Atacama Desert Trophy 2007 – which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year – is an 'amateur' race across one of Chile's famous deserts, and which attracts upwards of 600 entries each year.

Powered by a 1.3-litre 16v turbodiesel engine – the smallest unit in its category and one of the most modern engines on the market – which delivers an output of 75 bhp, the little Panda faced this legendary desert adventure which is held in the north of Chile; and the robust car turned in a remarkable performance furrowing its way through stony lands, breezily climbing the undulating sandy mounds and advancing with some style through the desert. The Panda didn't face any big problems thrown up by Raid, all the time providing security and reliability for the crew, a city car that is not only able to offer excellent economy and comfort, but which also has all the necessary requirements to face off-road adventures just like Atacama Raid  in the vast north of the country.

The Panda continues to prove itself a master of rough terrain, not only on the Raid Atacama 2007 but in January it tackled the legendary North African Dakar Rally, which at this moment another example is looping its way right round Africa in the hands of two Polish adventurers. With its participation in the Raid Atacama 2007 Fiat Chile has once again demonstrated the high quality of its new range of models with their stylish Italian origins, just as they arrive on the national market with the intention to become one of the leaders of their respective segments.

Sigdo Koppers and Bergé, a major Spanish trading conglomerate, is behind the Fiat rejuvenated presence in Chile. The importer group SKBergé is also the representative of many different important brands in Chile, including Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Maserati, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Mitsubishi and SsangYong. In a major boost to the burgeoning Fiat model range, the new Grande Punto arrived in Chile this month together with the Croma, Panda, Palio 1.8R and the Idea Adventure.
 

Fiat has 35 dealers in Chile, 19 of which are located in the capital, Santiago. The Palio 1.8R and Idea Adventure are imported directly from Brazil, where these models are built, and they join the Siena, Palio, Palio Weekend, Stilo, Strada, Doblò, Fiorino (van) and Ducato in making the journey across the border. The Grande Punto, Panda and Croma though are all shipped directly from Europe. Emphasising the importance of the Chile market to SKBergé and Fiat is the fact that none of these three models is presently available in Brazil and in fact the only South American market where the Grande Punto is being sold is Mexico where it was introduced earlier this year.