FIAT professional division wins prestigious Fleet award.

• Fleet Van Award judges reward FIAT Professional’s “incredible commitment to fleet customers and its willingness to engage and act on fleets managers’ views” in 2014 Awards.
• The FIAT Professional vehicle range also praised, with the FIAT Fiorino named City Van of the Year thanks to its “ideal payload and configuration, backed by excellent manufacturer and dealer support”.
• Judges describe FIAT Professional as “the benchmark by which to rate all van manufacturers.”

FIAT Professional has been named "Van Fleet Manufacturer of the Year" in the prestigious 2014 Fleet Van Awards, a significant accomplishment for the brand as it not only highlights the broad appeal and versatility of the FIAT Professional vehicle range, it also recognises the efforts of the brand to continually enhance the scope and quality of services it offers to all of its fleet customers in the UK.

In awarding FIAT Professional the "Van Fleet Manufacturer of the Year" award, the Fleet Van judging panel noted: "Last year’s ‘Highly-Commended’ fleet manufacturer finally secures top spot after further improvements in product quality and manufacturer support for fleets and the broader fleet sector. FIAT Professional’s incredible commitment to its fleet customers and its willingness to engage and act on fleets managers’ views, as well as its excellent model range, made it a worthy winner.”

The judges pointed to innovations such as FIAT Professional’s parts supply policy which is reducing downtime and improving VOR, and the fact that its vehicles and engines form the basis for many other manufacturers own models. The judges summarised FIAT Professional’s 2014 performance as “The benchmark by which to rate all van manufacturers.”

Sebastiano Fedrigo, Director, FIAT Professional UK, commented: "We are absolutely thrilled to be named ‘Van Fleet Manufacturer of the Year’ in the 2014 Fleet Van Awards – we have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to give our fleet customers the very best support and service by listening attentively and responding immediately to their needs, so to have our efforts recognised like this is hugely gratifying. With a whole range of new models coming on stream in the near future - each offering even better quality, economy, refinement, comfort and style - we will redouble our efforts in 2015 to ensure FIAT Professional remains the brand of choice for fleet customers across the UK.”

The FIAT Fiorino has once again seen off strong competition to claim the "City Van of the Year" title for the third consecutive year. Competing vehicles are compared across a number of core fleet criteria, including payload and versatility; safety and technology; fuel efficiency and emissions; reliability and dealer back-up; comfort and performance and, of course, overall running costs.

Stephen Briers, Editor-in-Chief of Fleet Van, noted: "The Fiorino has the ideal payload and configuration for city use and is backed by excellent manufacturer and dealer support. Strong, highly efficient engines and low SMR costs put it ahead on running costs and make it the perfect city van for fleets.”

In reference to the FIAT Fiorino, Mr. Fedrigo commented: "It speaks volumes about the excellence of the FIAT Fiorino that it continues to impress Fleet Van judges. Winning the "City Van of the Year" award for third consecutive year shows that the qualities that made it such a critical and commercial success when it was first launched – its winning combination of practicality, comfort, reliability and economy – continue to be as relevant to the segment as ever before."

FIAT Professional was also highly commended in the “Green Fleet Manufacturer of the Year” category for its continued efforts to reduce the environmental impact of its vehicle fleet.

The annual Fleet Van Awards, now in its seventh year, recognise the accomplishments of vehicle manufacturers, fleet operators and suppliers and are highly coveted by the light commercial vehicle industry. The judging panel includes members of the Fleet News/Fleet Van editorial team as well as an independent team of van experts.