Fiat Linea is a sales hit

The Linea, from the Fiat stables, which had created an impression as soon as it got launched, has seen a huge amount of popularity in the Indian marketplace.

Since the launch, Fiat has been riding a wave of popularity with the car considered a great value for money proposition, despite past troubles at the car company.

Fiat India Automobile has posted sales of 1,712 units in January 2009 alone. Of these, as many as 1,512 of them are the newly launched Linea model. The Linea is a C-segment sedan and comes in petrol and diesel variants. The sales in January make the Fiat Linea and the Mahindra Xylo two of the stand-out performers of the Indian auto sector in 2009.

Non-availability of easy car loans are said to be tyoing down the sales of both the vehicles though; February sales figures should give us a clearer indication of where Fiat is headed in India.

The new Fiat Linea has been priced extremely competitively keeping in mind the mindset of Indian customers. Fiat had debuted the vehicle for a price starting at Rs 5,98,967 for the petrol version and Rs 688,983 for the diesel model. The car that rolled out of the Fiat assembly line is being applauded for its sleek looks and excellent exteriors. With the arrival of the Linea, the company in India has lined up plans to spruce up its 70 odd Tata-Fiat dealer outlets and take the number to 100. The revamp is expected to happen by middle of the current calendar.

Fiat India is also lining up exports to countries like Australia, New Zealand and the UK. These markets are all right-hand-drive markets. It is expected that close to 10 per cent of the total volume will be exported from Fiat’s manufacturing facilities in India.

With the Linea making waves, the company is also planning the launch of a premium hatchback, the Fiat Grande Punto as well as an upgrade to the Fiat Palio small car in India.