No dolce vita for Italian a industry
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IT WAS the ninth international commercial Vehicle Show to be held in Turin, but the first at the Ligotto. This vacated Fiat :ar plant makes a good setting, but one with a slightly uneasy mtmosphere. Most of the floors 3bove ground level leading to the roof, which once served as test track, lay disquietingly dormant — a reflection of the Italian scene perhaps,
The commercial vehicle industry in Italy is still going through the recession which the rest of Europe is only now beginning to shake off. In 1983 truck sales slumped by 19 per. :ant and dropped a further two par cent last year.
Although bodymakem handle 70.90 per cent of the corn met. cisl vehicle body business, production and conversions dropped to Just over one third of the 1977 figure. Trailer manufacturers saw demand halved between 1980 and 1983 but, with around a 30 per cent recovery, they were able to produce over. 10,000 units last year.
Long-term predictions, however, give little promise of overall improvement to importers or domestic manufacturers.
Filling the larger show area were 250 exhibitors, including 21 vehicle manufacturers, 105 bodybuilders, 15 trailer manufacturers housed in the former press shop, still complete with some of the heavy lifting gear, had few new models to show the local market and even less to introduce to the rest of Europe.
More than one exhibitor spoke of the lengthy process and difficulties of conforming to the technical regulations regarding homologation.
But the show was not totally without innovation and it came as no surprise that Ivaco saved its latest development to launch there.