Fiat India opens new dealership in Chennai Chennai,

June 29, 2013: Fiat Group Automobiles India opened its second dealership in India. Ramkay Agencies, a popular name in the city for being a TVS Motor dealer for the past 33 years, has ventured into the four-wheeler space. Ramkay Fiat, the new dealership at Velachery, Chennai, is the largest Fiat service station in India. With 23 mechanical bays, of which 11 are equipped with two-post lifts, the service station will have one of the biggest workshops among Fiat dealerships. Ramkay Fiat will employ 16 well-trained technicians with two quality controllers and one job controller.

Meanwhile, Fiat India announced that its line-up of 9 models planned for India before 2016 will include four vehicles under the Fiatbrand, four Jeep branded products and one Abarth model. The 9 models will be either new or refreshed variants of existing models.

When asked if the compact SUV segment, one of the few segments registering growth in India, is a likely target for the company, Nagesh Basavanhalli, president and managing director, said: “We are targeting a presence in the SUV segment,” without ruling out the compact SUV segment. He added, “The Linea Classic will probably be the first model that will be launched,” referring to a possible stripped-down version of the current Linea saloon which will be localised to almost 95 percent.

Basavanhalli also mentioned that exclusive dealerships under the Jeep brand will be established to sell the premium brand. “Initially, the top 10 cities will get the Jeep dealerships,” he added. As for the Abarth model, it is likely to be based on the Punto platform. Abarth is a separate division under the company that is involved in enhancing the performance of existing models. The Abarth model planned for India is likely to be sold in established Fiat showrooms, with its own branding space and other materials.

Inaugurating the new dealership in Chennai, Basavanhalli said the city is likely to get a third dealership soon. At present, Fiat India has 63 operational dealerships and plans to reach a total of 120 dealerships by the end of 2013. In South India, 19 dealerships are operational and 26 letters of intent have been received as of June 2013.

KARTHIK H