While Fiat Auto officially decided to give a miss to the Autorai 2005 this week, the Lancia brand was however presented at the Dutch motor show courtesy of 'Ticks', a new lease scheme from Leasedeal.

The decision not to attend was made during a Fiat Auto management meeting in Benelux last November, and means there is an official absence of the Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo brands during the national motor show, which opened on Wednesday and runs until 20th February.

Fiat Auto have in fact now decided to take similar action in avoiding many of the smaller European motor shows which will take place this year.

Fiat Auto Nederland are instead saving their budget for the launch of a series of new models that will come on stream during 2005. These include the new Fiat Punto and Croma, and the highly anticipated Alfa Romeo 159 and Brera models.

However a last minute scrabble to get some representation from Fiat Auto at the show has paid off, and seen the leading Lancia model's wind up on Leasedeal's stand in the vast halls of the RAI Exhibition Centre in Amsterdam.

Leasedeal recently launched the 'Ticks' facility, which sees customers able to lease either the Lancia Ypsilon or Musa, on a payment-per-kilometer basis, a scheme that is already proving to be quite popular, and is expect to continue to grow during the course of this year.

Holland is an very important growth market for Lancia, who are facing this year with renewed confidence, having during 2004 turned around a difficult few recent years. So the presence of the Ypsilon and Musa can only be regarded as an added bonus at a show which is expected to see up to 500,000 visitors pass through its turnstiles.

In fact, registrations of Lancia cars increased by 14.9% overall in 2004, thanks in particular to the success of the Ypsilon and Musa. Where the Musa MPV is concerned, it should be pointed out that the car was only launched on the European markets early last month.
 

The new Ypsilon, which was launched in 2003, has been a huge sales success. This 'pocket flagship', which draws on Lancia's very rich, and almost century long tradition, has now been joined by the 'mini MPV' Musa, which seems set to continue with this new vein of form.

Lancia’s share of the European market grew from 0.7% to 0.8% while volumes rose from 100,983 units in 2003 to 115,211 units in 2004. European registrations (excluding Italy) leaped by more than 50%, one of the most significant increases recorded in 2004 by any car-maker in Europe.

As the Musa's profile and stature continues to grow, Lancia is at present the main sponsor of the famous Palazzo Chigi Saracini, in the heart of Siena in Italy, which has just fully opened its doors to the public for the first time in 200 years. This 'fairytale' castle, which is situated right in the heart of the cosmopolitan city, is home to a famous music school as well as a huge and valuable art collection, which numbers more than 12,000 items.

The public viewing, which is sponsored by Lancia, runs until the 15th June, while within the beautiful castle grounds will be displayed a new Lancia Musa. Much as Siena sees itself as a hospitable, International city, and the Palazzo Chigi Saracini is regarded as an institution that sums up everything that Italy stands for: style, taste and a warm, welcoming atmosphere, so too Lancia believe that the Musa, also reflects these core values, and that presenting the Musa at the Palazzo in Siena is a logical step forward.

For the new Musa, Autorai 2005 and the appearance at the Palazzo Chigi Saracini, promise the be the first steps in what should turn out to be an exciting year.