Fiat takes big stride forward
Grande Punto leads Fiat from the wilderness
Fiat Grande Punto
The UK's fastest growing marque, it sold 58,831 cars last year – up by over 64 per cent year-on-year – in a market down by 3.9 per cent over the same period. In percentage terms, the company’s 2006 market share stands at 2.51 per cent, compared with 1.47 per cent (35,828 units) the previous year.
Yes the company was doing particularly poorly but it suggests that there's still a lot of people out there willing to give Fiat another go. And the charge was led by the success of the company’s new Grande Punto, which went on sale here at the beginning of 2006 to widespread acclaim. It resulted in performance in this sector of the market (B-segment or supermini), that's particularly noteworthy, up 140% year-on-year in spite of the introduction of cars such as the Vauxhall Corsa.
Naturally, Fiat's over the moon about this and it'll certainly help with the bank balance, which has been haemorrhaging red ink in recent years.
“Obviously the Fiat team in the UK is pleased to have achieved the goals we set ourselves for 2006,” said Fiat UK boss Giulio Salomone. "We will be working hard to consolidate the re-launch of our brand in the UK, with some additions to our Grande Punto range, and with the launch of our fantastic new Bravo here this summer, along with key priorities, such as network development, customer satisfaction, business sales and the internet; as we prepare for the introduction of our stunning new baby, the Cinquecento, early in 2008. This iconic car is already beginning to capture the public’s imagination, and I am certain it will play a key role in taking our brand to another level.
“Customer awareness of our company is rising rapidly, and our latest TV advertising with Grande Punto reflects the younger buyer profile we are attracting.”
In spite of some well-documented dogs, Fiat's always been best at fizzing little cars that you can have fun in, and it would be a loss to all of us if that were to disappear.
It's cornering wasn't up to much tho' and a new head job rather expensive at 44k.
The Grande is a big leap forward, and I'll certainly give the GP Abarth a try when it comes.
You can have my old X1/9 if you like. It's great fun. There really is nothing like it on the market at present, but I don't know if anyone understands just how clever the packaging was. Certainly modern 2 seaters fail miserably on the storage front, yet offer very little else to compensate.
Fiat is a brand I've never really given much attention to, mainly because of its reputation of poor build and unreliability but its a reputation they seem to be shedding fast!
Good to see Fiat clawing back some lost ground. Fiat have long made good, fun affordable cars. With reliability and build quality issues resolved to a great extent, perhaps we can look forward to more stylish fun cars.
The Italians have always created cars with their characteristic passion, and that has always shown in the product. I'd certainly say there is still a market for Fiat.
Presume the Corsa is therefore a decent drive as well...? Surely a first for the Corsa badge in the UK...
Presume the Corsa is therefore a decent drive as well...? Surely a first for the Corsa badge in the UK...
I'm not sure that's entirely true. The European Corsa used to be sold in Australia under the Holden Barina nameplate, however cost reductions and the opening of the GM South Korea operation were Holden has a bit of influence meant that the Barina got replaced with a rebadged and ever so slightly re-engineered (new engines, styling change etc) Daewoo Kalos. If the new Corsa/Grande Punto platform had been developed in Korea we probably would have got that instead/as well, but the development costs of the European car meant that importing them and selling them at a competitive price in Australia would have been harder. (exchange rates also played a part though).
Still, they sell the Grande Punto here and I've seen a few on the roads, but they're veruy expensive when you stack them up against similiar competition. The base 1.25 costs around $23,000AUD when a 1.3 (albeit petrol) Yaris is around $14,000 and the aforementioned Barina, as a 1.6 petrol, is $12,990. However, it's good to hear that FIAT is doing better. I'd say once the line up consists of (over here anyway) the 500, the Panda, the Grande Punto and the new Bravo, they'll have a pretty desirable lineup and could give the French marks at the least some competition on our southern shores.
Ali.
Also, they've done something seemingly impossible - made an exotic-looking small family hatchback. It's cars like the new Grande Punto that remind me that, even if I end up lumbered with kids and a mortgage, I won't have to drive around in something that looks like a deep-sea diving bell with wheels. There's a saloon version in the pipeline which looks like a baby Quattroporte as well.
I hope the handling's OK though - my Punto rolls around like Pavarotti after a night on the tiles and understeers horribly with no grip on its little front tyres at all. With this new one, the Punto is no longer a Seicento in a bigger box.
Looking forward to the new 500 - but woe betide them if they give it power steering or traction control. They'll ruin it if they do.
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