Fiat aims to double China deliveries in '14, with help from new Ottimo hatchback
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles wants to double sales in China this year to 100,000 units as it adds the Ottimo compact hatchback to its lineup, The Wall Street Journal reports.
John Burton, general manager of GAC Fiat Automobiles Co., said in an interview with the newspaper that the Ottimo's starting price will be 108,800 yuan ($17,680). GAC Fiat is Fiat Chrysler's joint venture with China's Guangzhou Automobile Group Co.
To produce the Ottimo, which is derived from the Viaggio sedan, GAC Fiat will double daily production by adding a second shift at the joint venture's Changsha assembly plant by June. "We're bringing on volume in a careful manner, a staged approach," Burton told The Journal.
Although Fiat Chrysler remains a small player in China, sales began to grow after its joint venture began producing the Viaggio in 2012.
Sales that year totaled 30,000 units, and rose to 50,000 units the next year.
Fiat Chrysler also is finalizing plans to build compact Jeeps in China. The company intends to sell the new Renegade subcompact SUV and the Cherokee compact SUV in overseas markets, but has not yet announced which model might be built in China.
To produce the Ottimo, which is derived from the Viaggio sedan, GAC Fiat will double daily production by adding a second shift at the joint venture's Changsha assembly plant by June. "We're bringing on volume in a careful manner, a staged approach," Burton told The Journal.
Although Fiat Chrysler remains a small player in China, sales began to grow after its joint venture began producing the Viaggio in 2012.
Sales that year totaled 30,000 units, and rose to 50,000 units the next year.
Fiat Chrysler also is finalizing plans to build compact Jeeps in China. The company intends to sell the new Renegade subcompact SUV and the Cherokee compact SUV in overseas markets, but has not yet announced which model might be built in China.
