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Fiat plans autumn launch for UK market
Page 60
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by Gibb Grace • The first Fiat commercial vehicles will be available on the UK market by October this year and although final plans have still to be agreed it seems likely that five models will be chosen to start the company's assault on the British market Mr David Summerville of Fiat's commercial vehicle division in the UK and Mr G. Padrini a Fiat, Italy, factory representative responsible for the UK market tell me that earlier plans to start operations about now had had to be postponed because of the time taken in getting their engines certified to BS AU 141a 1971.
The engines are still not yet certificated but the work is well under way and no difficulty is envisaged. No bhp or torque figures were available but I was assured the BS AU 141a figures would be very close to the DIN figures.
The first five models are likely to be the 55NC and 75NC light trucks and vans introduced at Earls Court last year, the well established 684 and 619 tractive units and the newly announced 130NT mediumweight truck.
The 55NC and 75NC models are 5.5and 7.5-tonne-gvw designs and will be available in chassis cowl and factory-built panel form. The 684 is a 200 bhp two-axle tractive unit suitable for 32-ton-gcw and the 619 a 260 bhp two-axle tractive unit suitable for use up to 38-tons-gcw. Both types have been approved by the DoE and the recommended changes to the braking system to Suit the British three-line requirements are to be made at the factory and not as first thought by an agent in the UK. All models, even the biggest, will be immediately available in right-hand-drive form as all Italian heavy vehicles have to be righthand-drive by law.
Details of dealers are not yet available but it is known that letters of intent have been exchanged in several cases and that about 18 dealers covering the whole country will be signed up by September.
The Fiat representatives stressed that the organization would be run by Fiat and not put in the hand of a concessionaire. Truck and car interests will be kept strictly separate and it is expected that Fiat commercial vehicle dealers will specialize in trucks and have Fiat-trained staff.
Fiat hopes to announce the complete range of vehicles to be offered next month and also at that time firm prices. The spokesman could not give prices at this stage because of the fluctuations in exchange rates. Certainly the heavy vehicles will not be cheap as they are of the premium type and still carry a considerable 17.5 per cent import tariff. The lighter vehicles are produced at a very modern factory in large numbers and will probably be more competitively priced.