First official look at the forthcoming Brazilian-built "Novo Uno" and its niche off-road styled high-end version as Fiat Automóveis CEO presents the Group's five year plan for Latin America. Brazil has bypassed Italy to become Fiat's biggest market and production centre globally and the carmaker has ambitious plans to use this as a springboard to expand both in Brazil and the wider region over the 2010-2014 period covered by the business plan.

With almost a quarter share of the Brazilian market (and with the top four players on the market annexing no less than 77.1 percent of all sales last year), Fiat Automóveis sees four factors driving its continuing success: product, dealer network, supply chain and brand. While VW builds the market's best-selling car, Fiat Automóveis has had huge success in developing niche versions, in particular the "Adventure" series of city cars styled to resemble off-roaders, the quartet comprising of the Palio Weekend, Doblò, Idea and Strada. Last year 70,000 "Adventure" branded Fiat cars were sold in Brazil.

The Palio Weekend "Adventure" (estate) has been a big hit and is the first front-wheel-drive car on the Brazilian market to be fitted with the "innovative Locker" (self locking) differential. The Palio Weekend has a 51 percent share of the small station wagon segment in Brazil. In 2009 that market segment added up to 92,000 units.

Equally successful with consumers has been the Strada pick up, which like the Palio is based on the long-running "Project World Car" platform. The Strada is the first car-derived pick-up in the world to feature a double-cabin and it comes with a premium pricing. The Strada has a 52 percent stake of the small pick-up segment in Brazil which last year added up to a total of 162,000 units.

However the most interest in the presentation focuses around the new Uno, and with Fiat's need to impress a skeptical investment community and government at home, the presentation features the first official images of the Panda-platform based car well ahead of its public debut. In the presentation Fiat Latin America aims to contribute to the Group's progress worldwide and in particular to the development of small car platforms and the new Uno clearly showcases this ambition.

Fiat sees the new Uno as a "a quick response to market needs" and tapping accurately into the "Brazilian social shift from lower- to middle-class." The new Uno, its says ambitiously, will be the "the future leader of compact cars". There is also a first look at the "Uno Way" which will be an offroad styled version (Fiat Automóveis uses the designation "Way" in place of "Adventure" on the current Uno model which is still built in Brazil). The images of the Uno Way show the car fitted with non-colour coded plastic protection panels that include new bumpers overlays at both ends, wrapping over the grille at the front, around the tailgate at the rear, and angling up the wings on all corners, large curved wheel arch covers and chunky door strips. Under the bumpers at the front and rear there are aluminium protection plates while the "off-road" effect is completed by roof bars and a raised ride height.

Last year Fiat produced a record 808,000 units in Latin America, 729,000 at the giant Betim (MG) plant in Brazil and 79,000 at Córdoba in Argentina, the total split over 13 models in 69 versions. As the market leader in Brazil Fiat sees significant expansion in volume by 2014 but while slightly underperforming the overall market. It sees the overall market rising from 3,010,000 vehicles last year to a forecast 4,300,000 in 2014, while Fiat sees its sales climbing from 737,000 units last year to 1,025,000 in 2014, meaning its market share will slip very slightly from 24.5 to 23.8 percent. Meanwhile for the remaining of Latin America, including markets such as Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Mexico (but excluding Brazil) Fiat sees the market climbing from 1,995,000 units last year to an estimated 2,790,000 vehicles by 2014 and its own sales in the area rising from 62,000 units last year to 100,000 units in 2014, and increasing its market share from 3.1 to 3.6 percent over the period. For the total Latin American market Fiat forecasts selling 1,125,000 vehicles by 2014 which would mean its market share would shrink very slightly from 16 percent last year to 15.8 percent in 2014.