19/04/2012 Low emission car sales soar

UK drivers are choosing fuel efficient cars with low carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and the environment is benefitting, an official report has confirmed. more

23/03/2009 Fiat bucks motor industry problems with remarketing strategy.

Manufacturers and dealers looking for a sales boost may wish to follow in the footsteps of Fiat, after an overhaul of its remarketing strategy proved highly successful.

Upon the arrival of Simon Wheeler to the company last year, Fiat was struggling with high stock levels.

But the FGAUK’s used vehicle remarketing manager has helped to change the direction of the company.

The change in strategy proved a major success last year as Fiat witnessed a 42 per cent increase in used car wholesales to dealers and trade buyers.

Also, a fourfold increase was registered in dealers buying vehicles online.

Mr Wheeler explained: "Following a complete overhaul of our used car strategy we now find ourselves with stock levels that allow us to drive the used market to the benefit of our dealers and customers.

"Some cars, such as Grande Punto, are now in very short supply which has, in turn, pushed up residual values in the used car guides."

Fiat also acknowledges that the problems that have affected the motoring industry over the past months have helped to improve its position, as there has been a demand for less expensive models.

With the demand for vehicles priced under the £8,000 umbrella soaring over the current months, Fiat has a host of vehicles to put in the direction of prospective buyers.

Alongside the success of the Grande Punto, Fiat also has other well-priced vehicles including the 500, Panda and Bravo, all of which offer low emissions and are in a low road tax bracket.

09/02/2009 Fiat launches Start and Stop

Fiat has unveiled its latest environmentally-friendly vehicle in a bid to woo the market with its green credentials.

The Fiat 500 Start & Stop is designed to deliver improved fuel efficiency through a new system that stops the engine automatically whenever traffic conditions bring the car to a complete halt, restarting as soon as the driver wants to move off again.

It is hoped the Fiat 500 Start & Stop will prove a popular choice in the city and used fiat dealers will be hoping the new car causes more people to choose Fiat for its green credentials.

"This is an important development for the 500 as it will help to make what is already a fuel-efficient, value-for-money car an even greater consideration for town and city drivers," said Andrew Humberstone, managing director of Fiat Group Automobiles UK.

Fiat is currently in negotiations with US car giant Chrysler in a bid to develop a strategic agreement between the two companies to help boost worldwide sales.

Written by Chris Malone

07/02/2009 Chrysler ‘must ally’ with Fiat

Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne has claimed that rival manufacturer Chrysler has little option but to agree a strategic alliance with the Italian firm.

The Fiat chief executive has arrived in the US to review the potential agreement between Chrysler and his company that he claimed would help the American company to beat the current challenging market conditions.

"We can help them," he told the Detroit Free Press in an interview.

Under the plans currently being considered, Fiat could take a 35 per cent stake in Chrysler, which it would have the option to increase to as much as 55 per cent in the future.

Mr Marchionne said that the global economic conditions had "lost all sense of normalcy", making conditions increasingly difficult for the car industry.

But he remained bullish about the potential not only for Fiat, but also for the future of Chrysler through a tie-up with the Italian motoring giants.

Fiat is already proving a popular choice despite the economic conditions, and the Fiat 500 Award city car recently won City Car of the Year award from BusinessCar magazine, which is hoped will boost sales of used Fiat cars.

Written by Chris Malone

14/01/2009 Get ready for the Fiat Qubo

Fiat fans have been warned to get ready for the Fiat Qubo, which will be available to buy later in January.

The first thing that prospective buyers might want to know is why the name? Well apparently it’s a play on the word ‘cube’ and is meant to suggest that the car has "far more to it than meets the eye".

At first glance it bears more than a passing resemblance to the car it was modelled on, the Grande Punto, a vehicle which is a popular choice of used Fiat model.

Electric front windows, power steering and a fully-adjustable steering wheel come as standard features, as does a Blue&Me hands-free communication system.

Higher up the range, the Dynamic model offers air conditioning, heated electric door mirrors, anodised aluminium interior door handles, height-adjustable driver’s seat and 16-inch alloy wheels instead of the regular 15-inch items.

Funky green and fiery orange are two of the nine vibrant colours the car is available in, with prices ranging from £9,750 to £12,350.

Written by Harry Oakey

31/12/2008 Proof that Fiat’s ecoDrive helps green drivers thrive

Fiat has proudly released statistics proving the success of its ecoDrive technology in helping motorists achieve greater fuel efficiency.

The ecoDriv system is a tool that helps drivers monitor how their driving style affects their fuel consumption and CO2 emissions; it is free of charge on certain Fiat models.

It collects data after a USB stick is plugged into the dashboard. The results can then be accessed at journey’s end when the USB stick is plugged into a PC or laptop with a summary of suggestions on how to improve efficiency further coming attached to the data.

According to Fiat, the thousands of motorists who have taken advantage of the system since its October launch have saved more than 163,000kg of CO2 – enough energy to heat 294,000 Christmas dinners.

The Fiat Bravo and Qubo will be the next Fiats to have an ecoDrive option, following in the footsteps of the Fiat 500 and Grande Punto models as the system becomes a more familiar sight in used Fiats.

Written by Roxy Moran

24/12/2008 Fiat 500 price drops again

Chancellor Alistair Darling’s VAT cut has meant that the price of the Fiat 500 has dropped again.

When the car was first launched last January it had a price tag of £7,900. This rose to £8,100 during the summer but the 15 per cent VAT cut has meant that the cost has travelled back down – it is now £7,929.

The news could mean that the car is even more of a bargain for used-Fiat bargain hunters in the near future.

Elena Bernardelli, marketing director, Fiat UK, said: "It has been praised for its style, eco-friendliness, road manners and economy.

"Now the Fiat 500 has re-affirmed its terrific value for money with this latest list price."

Fiat has certainly been busy lately. It has been widely reported that the company has teamed up with fashion house Diesel to create a limited edition Fiat 500 (the Fiat 500byDiesel) which will only be sold online.

If you click on your mouse to order one of these 10,000 cars you can specify the way you want it configured and track the progress of your order.

Written by Henry Sweet

23/12/2008 Fiat Panda Eco ‘attracts less resentment than other small cars’

The BBC’s Top Gear website has given the new Fiat Panda Eco a test spin and concluded that it "attracts less resentment than other small cars".

The vehicle’s release shouldn’t mean that the old Fiat Panda becomes an endangered species – it will still be sold and used Fiat Pandas should enjoy long and happy lives owing to the popularity of the brand.

A price tag of £7,705 means the Panda Eco and neatly slots into the government’s lower tax band, saving £85 when you drive it out of the showroom.

Top Gear reviewer Piers Ward was surprised at the lack of surprises with the car. "It’s still an awesome little town car," he wrote.

The only difference between the Eco and the Panda original that Mr Read could note were the low-rolling-resistance tyres and low-viscosity oil "which helps with the friction levels in the engine".

Even the gear ratios have stayed the same.

The car is part of Fiat’s drive to satisfy the EU’s desire that car manufacturers have an average CO2 value across their range of 130g/km.

‘Green’ used cars are soaring in popularity as the government introduces incentives to reduce the prices of less polluting vehicles.

Written by Bobby Minter

29/11/2008 One millionth Grande Punto rolls off the production line

Fiat’s factory in Melfi, Italy has recently had a red-letter day – having just produced its one millionth Grande Punto.

The supermini was first made by the Italian firm 15 years ago and the fact that it is now in its third generation is testament to its enduring appeal; something that used Fiat dealers have happily benefitted from.

The millionth Grande Punto model is no ordinary beast but is a Passionate Red Sporting version boasting a powerful 1.4 T-Jet 120 bhp turbo petrol engine.

So how long will the Grande Punto, which was first produced in 2005, last?

A clue might be found in the history books – the original Punto was produced from 1993 to 1999 and around 3,500,000 were manufactured.

So happily it looks like the Grande could be in production for some time to come. It shelf life could be extended yet further by the fact that several new features targeting a younger market have just been adopted.

Written by Trevor Coffee

13/11/2008 Fiat 500 to be promoted through mobile phone adverts

A new mobile phone-based advertising campaign has been launched this week by Fiat UK to help promote its 500 city car.

The six-week campaign, an industry first, aims to direct potential customers to the company’s mobile internet site.

The campaign is the result of a collaboration between Fiat, on-line communications portal MSN and media giant Sky, together with SnapNow, the mobile visual search service.

A marketing drive will highlight the fact that picture recognition technology will allow customers to take a photo of Fiat’s national press adverts on their mobile phones and send it to receive more information about the Fiat 500, courtesy of a text link to the mobile internet.

Sky’s[CURLY] mobile site will have a banner that will route customers directly through to the Fiat 500 internet site.

Elena Bernardelli, marketing director, Fiat UK, said: "This is an exciting development for us."

"We will be making more of the Fiat 500 and eco:Drive with these interactive adverts and the technology we are offering in our products is reflected in the technology of the marketing methods we are using."

Written by Roxy Moran