Despite the slowdown hitting the passenger vehicle segment, the auto major Fiat group has posted growth last year and is hopeful of sustaining it in 2014 with a product line up of four new vehicles.

Though the industry witnessed a downturn in 2013, Fiat Group Automobiles India Pvt Ltd registered a sales growth of 44 per cent between April to December last year and 87 per cent from April to March 2014, Nagesh Basavanhalli, President and Managing Director, Fiat Chrysler India Automotive Pvt Ltd, said.

Quoting figures from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), he pointed out that Fiat sold 7,738 vehicles during April to December, up by 44 per cent compared to corresponding period and 11,928 vehicles till March this year, a growth of 87 per cent.

“With good enquiries from customers, we are cautiously optimistic about the second half of 2014 as the demand will pick up post-Parliament elections and the ensuring festival season,” he told Business Line on the sidelines of an event.

However, the sales during January to March this year was down by 4.5 per cent, he said adding that south has become a strong market in the last one year.

Basavanhalli, who was here in connection with flagging off K2K Passion Drive in the city, said that the growing fan base have contributed for the sales growth.

Fiat’s Facebook page has seen an exponential growth and it today stands at 6.2 lakh fans. Besides, the marketing strategy of the company adopted in the previous years has also started to work, which is evident from the sales growth, he said.

The company has opened 112 dealerships across the country last year, which would be increased to 150 by the end of this year.

The four new vehicles to be launched this year are New Linea, New Punto, the contemporary utility vehicle Avventura and Abarth 500.

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