Fiat India Automobiles on Wednesday announced its intent to increase its focus on exports under which it has exported Fiat Linea to Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, the inauguration is set for this week and Speed Italia will be taking charge of dealership.
Fiat India expects to receive a good response to the Linea 1.4 emotion pack in this market. The first batch of cars which is set for the export comprises 72 cars of which 50 have been allotted to the Sri Lankan Air Force officials on delivery at the time of the inauguration.
As part of this strategy, Fiat has also begun testing new growth opportunities overseas with a focus on countries such as Bhutan and Australia, both right-hand drive countries. The car market size in Sri Lanka is around 20,000 units annually and Fiat plans to achieve 5 per cent in the first-year itself.
The company is already exporting cars to South Africa and early this year it commenced exports to Nepal. The exported batch of Linea is similar to the one driven on Indian roads. Fiat's products — The Fiat Linea and The Fiat Punto — have been well received in South Africa and Nepal.
Speaking on the initiative, Rajeev Kapoor, CEO, Fiat India Automobiles, said, “Exports of Linea to Sri Lanka play a significant role in reaching out to the international markets and establishing our presence globally. We are confident that we will be able to procreate the success of this car overseas as well and thereby expand our footprint and brand identity across markets. This is a step in the direction of reaffirming our position as an international auto giant”. Since the company commenced exports from India to right-hand drive markets, the company has exported nearly to 4,000 numbers of the Linea and Punto.
