UK SALES MARCH - Fiat and its evergreen range of cars continue to post gains, the best since 2004.

• FIAT UK March sales the best monthly total since 2004
• Market share grows from 2.42% to 2.54%
• Sales driven by segment-leading FIAT 500 and the growing popularity of the FIAT 500X SUV
• With all-new FIAT Tipo and FIAT 124 Spider due before the end of the summer, the prospects for FIAT UK look positive in 2016

FIAT UK has achieved its best monthly sales total in almost 12 years with 13,190 registrations in March 2016, an increase of 10.62% compared to March of last year. 

Indeed, FIAT UK’s March registration figures are the strongest monthly figures it has posted since September 2004, when FIAT sold 13,668 vehicles. It’s also the brand’s best March since 2004, when the popularity of the FIAT Punto and FIAT Panda drove sales to 14,146 vehicles.

According to SMMT figures, sales for the iconic Italian brand have reached 18,665 for the first quarter of the year resulting in an increase in market share from 2.42% to 2.54% compared to its 2015 year-to-date figure and a further signal of the FIAT brand’s resurgent popularity.

Key to FIAT UK’s sales growth has been the arrival of the new FIAT 500 and increasing public awareness of the size, performance and capability of the FIAT 500X SUV.

The FIAT 500 was refreshed in the autumn of 2015 and is now regaining its stellar sales momentum as more buyers are won over by the benefits of its new infotainment technologies, increased personalisation options, improved refinement and subtly enhanced styling, not to mention the addition of the 1.3 MultiJet II diesel and Eco version of the popular 1.2-litre engine. With the sporty new FIAT 500S arriving in showrooms in the summer, the indications are positive that the FIAT 500 will grow in terms of popularity and success in 2016, further consolidating its position as the leader in its segment.

As the FIAT 500X range celebrates its first anniversary in the UK market, sales are now shifting into high gear as its distinctively Italian design and surprising on-road presence attract more and more customers into showrooms. The FIAT UK marketing team has also launched an innovative media plan featuring a new advertising campaign - tailored to the UK and developed hand in hand with FIAT HQ - which reinforces the size, versatility and fun-to-drive characteristics of the FIAT 500X. This plan, combined with a positive response to the 500X from the motoring media, has seen sales jump from just a handful a year ago to 2,863 in March 2016, making it the fourth best seller in the compact SUV segment.

With the FIAT 124 Spider roadster and FIAT Tipo range all set to arrive before the end of the summer, the prospects for the brand look increasingly positive as 2016 progresses.

Sebastiano Fedrigo, Country Manager FIAT UK, commented, “We were confident that 2016 would be a turning point for the FIAT brand in the UK and so far this is proving to be the case. The careful enhancements our designers and engineers made to the FIAT 500 were exactly in line with what our customers wanted and as the visibility of the FIAT 500X increases as more hit the streets, we’ve shifted our marketing focus to emphasis its true capability and versatility. It’s always a challenge to enter a new segment but momentum is building behind the 500X and we expect this success to grow, especially as the new FIAT 124 Spider and FIAT Tipo draw even more customers to our dealerships.”

The FIAT 500 range starts at £11,050 OTR while the FIAT 500X range is priced from £14,295 OTR. The three-model FIAT 500L line-up (500L, MPW and Trekking) starts from £13,665 OTR while the three-model Panda range (Panda, 4X4, Cross) is available from £9,510 OTR. The other models in the FIAT range include the FIAT Punto (£11,485 OTR), the FIAT Qubo (£12,695 OTR) and FIAT Doblo (£13,775 OTR).