This year, Fiat Auto Poland's Tychy plant is expected to build a record number of vehicles this year, breaking the 500,000-unit barrier.

This year, Fiat Auto Poland's Tychy plant is expected to build a record number of vehicles this year, breaking the 500,000-unit barrier. In 2008, the Polish site is planning to manufacture a combined 506,000 vehicles, including units of the all-new A-segment Ford Ka, which is a platform sibling to the hot-selling Fiat 500 supermini.

"We have already built the first 200 examples [of the Ka]. In April, we are starting pre-series production, with the official production start set for September. This year, there will be about 20,000 units made, but the figure may subsequently change,” says Zdzisław Arlet, the Tychy plant manager. Fiat is contract manufacturing the new Ka model for Ford.

The Panda city car will remain Fiat's most-produced car model at Tychy, with some 260,000 units set to be supplied this year. Interestingly, in late 2008 the factory will start building the high performance 500 Abarth model, which is scheduled to roll off the lines at a daily rate of approximately 100 units.

Tychy is set to keep making the Fiat 600 (formerly known as the Seicento) saying this time the small entry-level model will be discontinued in July 2009. However, the car may remain in production and get chopped at a later date, if the business strategy proves to be viable.

Report: Samar