Fiat Automòveis have taken the wraps off the impressive FCC Adventure 'off road' concept car at the Salão Internacional do Automóvel in Sao Paolo, with South American President Cledorvino Belini promising big investments, more exciting new models, and a healthy future for Fiat Auto's South American subsidiary.

The unique FCC (Fiat Concept Car) Adventure showcar takes pride of place on the large Fiat stand at Brazil's biggest motor show, while alongside it the new Idea Adventure is making its show debut. The Idea Adventure is the latest model in the "Adventure" series: distinctively-styled, lower-cost cars that can be effectively used in off-road situations, providing the burgeoning local car market with a genuine alternative to higher priced imported North American and European SUVs.

The President of Fiat Automòveis, Cledorvino Belini, told reporters at the show that Fiat intends to invest 3 billion reais ($1.41 billion) during a three year programme which will see a new range of models rolled out. These are likely to include a replacement for the Palio "World Car" family, the arrival of the new mid-size sedan, codenamed D200, and a replacement for the popular Stilo model, as well as more 'off road' capable niche models. At present more than 60 percent of Fiat Brazil's sales are low-cost models and they want to develop further models in this category to meet demand from first-time buyers who have not previously been able to consider a new car as an option. Berlini believes that interest rates will continue to fall, boosting the already-thriving market much further.

Berlini also wants to keep Fiat Automòveis at the forefront of the technological revolution that is sweeping Brazil. More than three quarters of all new car purchases are for so-called 'dual-fuel' models, which allow alcohol fuel to be used instead of, or mixed with, gasoline. As oil prices surge, alcohol, which has traditionally been widely used in South America in the past has become a much cheaper option once again than petrol which in recent decades has taken its place. Fiat's Magnelli Marelli-developed 'FlexFuel' system has been rolled out across the product range, with the most recent addition being the 1.0 Flex version of the Fiat Mille, which is based on the European 'Uno' model and which continues to sell very well as a market entry-level car.
 

At the 24th Salão Internacional do Automóvel in Sao Paolo, the Brazil's busting industrial city, the FCC Adventure has captured the media's attention though, offering a glimpse of a future off-road vehicle that can appeal to a growing niche for practical all-terrain use vehicles mixed with a sense of style and sportiness. Alongside the Fiat production model range and the 'Adventure' series (Palio Weekend, Doblò, Strada and Idea) the carmaker is also presenting the Croma 'station wagon'. Although this type of vehicle hasn't proved to be very popular with the market in the past, Fiat Automòveis is using the high-profile occasion to gain feedback from visitors before making a decision as whether to bring it to South America. Also making its national and regional debut is the Alfa 159 which will be launched onto the market in the coming months.

Meanwhile Fiat Auto South Africa’s recent alignment with Fiat Auto Brazil is beginning to bear fruit in the form of local skills development. Roberto Nobili, a 32-year-old engineer who currently works at Rosslyn in Fiat’s Industrial Operations Department, has jetted off to Brazil to gain valuable work experience in Fiat’s Belo Horizonte plant where he is taking up a post as production supervisor. Roberto’s two-year overseas assignment is the first of many that are envisaged for South African employees at Fiat Auto South Africa. The benefits for Fiat Auto SA are obvious: exposing as many of the local workforce as possible to an automotive giant such as Fiat Auto Brazil can only enhance the company’s competitiveness. Fiat Auto Brazil produces more than 500,000 vehicles annually (close to the entire number of cars sold in South Africa) and enjoys a 26 percent share of a 1,600,000 total vehicle market.

by Claudio Perlini