Fiat Italy : 2008-2012

Registrations in Italy fell dramatically over this period. In 2008, they stood at 2,160,000 but by 2012, they had slumped to 1,400,000! The fall wasn't in one hit but from 2010 to 2012 it was -10%, -11% and -20%. At the end of that unit sales were at their lowest level in over 30 years. to add to that, the market share for Fiat has fallen to 21% by 2012, not quite the lowest ever but still well down historically. 

For a brand like Fiat that relies heavily on the home market, that was no doubt tough. Total registrations for the Fiat brand in Italy by 2012 were less than half what they had been just five years earlier. The model range that expanded several years prior was now being trimmed back.   

The Qubo arrived in 2008, a very small van converted into a passenger vehicle and it did OK. For 2011 out went the Sedici, Croma, Multipla and Seicento and in came the Freemont (pic below), a Dodge Journey for Europe. In 2012 the 500L (pic above) replaced the Idea but it was too soon for it to have much impact on the sales data featured in tthe chart below. 

For the fourth in the series, simply click here. Pics: Netcarshow.

Fiat Italy : 2003-2007

Fiat hit an all time low in 2003 in regard to Italian market share, which was replicated the following year. The arrival of the Croma (pic below the chart) gave Fiat a car larger than its more successful smaller offerings but that didn't sell well. A second generation Panda lifted sales in 2005 and likewise a third generation Punto a year later. 

Then Fiat created a small MPV which was named the Idea. It sold quite well too so not a bad idea. The Fiat Sedici was a collaboration with Suzuki and was much the same as the SX4. It wasn't supposed to be a big selling model so did well for what was expected. 

The interesting-looking Multipla (pic above) got a major facelift to 'normalise' its appearance and 2005 sales perked up slightly as a result. The Stillo name was dropped after one generation, Fiat returning to the Bravo label in 2007.

The 500 was introduced in 2007, a retrostyled version of the 500 that ended production in 1975. The new 500 could be classed as a replacement for the Seicento but as both sold concurrently for some years, I decided not to merge sales figures. 

Total registrations in Italy hit a record 2.5 million units in 2007. Did that and all of this model activity have a positive effect on sales? Well, yes it did with total numbers exceeding 600,000 for the first time in six years and its market share was now close to 25%. Could this positive change of fortunes now be maintained? 

For the third in the series, simply click here. Photos: Netcarshow. 

Fiat Italy : 1997-2002

I thought I'd do a series on Fiat in Italy, going back to 1997. The data is from various sources and is sufficiently accurate to use although sources from Italy can be slightly variable. With that in mind... 

Back in 1997, Fiat commanded a third of the Italian passenger car market. Going further back to 1974, it exceeded 50% but has never reached those dizzying heights but not a realistic penetration nowadays. 

Still, we are starting over twenty years later and 33% was a strong result. The Punto was king with 375,000 registrations or 15.7% of total sales. Impressive for a single model. However, sales were dropping rather quickly after that. The second generation did uplift declining sales in the year 2000 but perhaps not by as much as one might expect. The Panda, Cinquecento and Bravo/Brava were also solid performers, highlighting Fiat's strength in smaller cars.

Over the six years covered here, total registrations were very stable but Fiat was losing ground. The total sales per annum dropped from 793,400 to 511,700. All models were part of that decline but none more so than the Punto (pic above).  

The Cinquecento was replaced by the Seicento but that didn't have any impact of note. The Stilo (pic below) was designed to improve on the Bravo/Brava with only a marginally superior result. The 22.4% share in 2002 was a third down from just six years earlier.  

For the second in the series, simply click here. Photographs: Netcarshow.