Italy-based Fiat will launch onto the Romanian market around 500 units of the new Fiorino model, a commercial vehicle that weighs less than 3 tonnes, which was launched mid last week.
"Under the current market conditions, we expect to reach a volume of around 500 units in 2008. The price of the new Fiorino will be 8-10% lower than the Doblo model. For the basic version, the price is expected to be less than 10,000 euros," Franco Miniero, CEO at Fiat Professional, Fiat's commercial vehicle arm, told ZF.
At a European level, sales of Fiat Fiorino are estimated to reach around 45,000 units in 2008 and 2009. Turkey and Italy are the biggest markets, and will be the first markets on which the new model will be launched in December.
"In terms of sales, the most important markets will be Turkey and Italy, while at a regional level (Central and Eastern Europe), the biggest sales will be registered in Poland and Romania," explained Miniero. According to Fiat representatives, Fiorino sales are forecast to reach 11,000 units per year in Italy.
Fiat Fiorino is built on the same platform as Citroen Nemo and Peugeot Bipper, all three of which are assembled at Tofas plant in Turkey. Technically, the difference between Fiat's model and those of PSA Group is the diesel engine.
"Around 30,000 units of Fiat Fiorino Cargo (the version designed for goods transportation) and 15,000 Combi (also designed for passenger transportation) will be launched onto the European market in 2009. In terms of engine types, 85% of sold units will have a diesel engine, a percentage that could reach 96% should only the Cargo version be taken into account" highlighted Antonino Mannina, manager with Fiat Professional Product Development.
In terms of weight, Fiorino model will account for 9% of Fiat's total global sales.
Domestically, Fiat wants to reach an annual volume of 10,000 units by 2010, according to previous statements by Franco Miniero, with 20% of Fiat Professional's CEE sales being generated in Poland and Romania. This year, the representatives of Autoitalia (domestic importer of Fiat), plan to sell 5,500 commercial vehicles, up 66% against the previous year.
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