Pune, November 21 : The clouds of recession looming over the country and the heat on the auto sector, like any other, have not stopped Fiat from its latest launch. Fiat India Automobiles Limited, choosing to disregard the economic slowdown, rolled out its C plus segment sedan Linea from the Ranjangaon plant some 40 km from here.
“It’s a grim economic scenario and all auto players are feeling the heat. It’s a challenge for us but we see this as an opportunity to launch a new car. The new product in the market will induce demand among the customers. The start of production of Linea is an important milestone for us and is a significant step in fulfilling the promise that we had made at the Auto Expo earlier this year,’’ said Rajeev Kapoor, CEO, Fiat India Automobiles Ltd.
This launch comes after a seven-year gap, the last one being that of Palio in 2001. Launched internationally in May 2007 in Istanbul, with a strong Italian imprint, Linea has features found in high-end cars. Around 2,500 Linea cars will be manufactured per month from the Ranjangaon plant.
The 200-acre facility, a 50-50 joint venture between Fiat and Tata Motors, will soon see Grande Punto, a top seller in Europe, also being manufactured from here. “The launch of Linea is the first step to re-establish the Fiat brand in the Indian market. After three months, Grande Punto will commence production from here,’’ said Kapoor.
Linea-Active is the base model followed by Dynamic and Emotion while Emotion +1 will be the high-end model. Initially they will be available in three colours. The medium-sized sedan fulfills Euro-4 emission norms and comes in 1.2, 1.3-petrol engine and 1.4 diesel engine.
The Ranjangaon plant now has a completely equipped body shop, assembly line and power terrain plant while a paint shop is to be commissioned shortly.
The assembly shop is designed to roll out Linea, Grande Punto and Tata X1 sedan. Now, 1.2 Palio petrol is being exported from the Ranjangaon plant and Linea and Garnde Punto will follow soon.
Apart from Fiat and Tata cars, the facility also produces powertrain engines.
The plant with an investment of Rs 4,000 crore in its full capacity, will produce up to 2,00,000 cars, 3,00,000 engines and 3,00,000 parts and accessories.
Auto major Maruti Suzuki Tuesday launched a new model targeted at the mid-priced segment, and said it hoped to export it to over 150 countries.
