From January up to March of this year Fiat sold 968 units in Mexico compared with the 758 units it shifted during the same period of 2007 a year-on-year rise of 28 percent as its entire model range saw increasing demand.

From January to the end of March of this year, Fiat sold 968 units in Mexico compared with the 758 units it shifted during the same period of 2007, a year-on-year rise of 28 percent, a result that sees the year-and-a-half old relaunch on the market well on course to achieve targets.

The Grande Punto was the best selling model out of the burgeoning range, with 227 units heading to customers during the first quarter. The Grande Punto sold in Mexico is the Italian-built version rather than the Brazil model. The B-segment supermini was followed by the Strada Adventure pick up, which accounted for 142 units, while in third place was the Palio Adventure, with 141 units.

The range of vehicles belonging to cost-effective, off-road capable 'Adventure' family (Palio Adventure, Strada Adventure and Idea Adventure) showed a healthy sales increase of 69 percent during the first quarter. At the same time, the other models of the Italian firm's range, Grande Punto (which includes the turbocharged T-Jet model in its Mexican range), the Panda and Stilo, registered a growth of 58 percent as a whole, driven mainly by the increase in Panda sales.

The small urban Panda model, also imported from Europe, turned in a growth of 196 percent during the period, thanks to its attractive combination of stylish design, high equipment levels and low fuel consumption. Fiat Professional, in the commercial vehicles segment, sold 28 units of Ducato, which is also a European import rather than the Brazilian version.

Fiat Mexico's projection of sales for 2008 has a target of 5,500 units, with demand expected to increase throughout the model range; and to achieve this a sales network of 20 dealers has been set up, which are located in all the major Mexican cities. Fiat was relaunched in Mexico, Latin America's second largest new car market, in late November 2006. It's imports to the country are handled by SKBC Group, a regional conglomerate, and annual sales of 40,000 units have been targeted by 2010, by which time the group will have doubled its dealership numbers to 40 outlets.

by Claudio Perlini