(2 March 2016) From the complete range of Alfa Romeo Giulia to the Fiat 124 Spider and the Maserati Levante… Fiat Chrysler Automobiles offers an abundance of emotions at the Geneva Motor Show. And the sales numbers for February don’t lie: for an Italian market that grew by 27.3%, FCA performed better than the competition and increased its sales by 32.2%, with more than 50,000 new registrations. This is the fourteenth consecutive growth better than that market average, and the largest since May 2006. Growth is positive for all brands: Jeep +47.7%, Fiat +33.8%, Lancia +30% and Alfa Romeo +7.8%. Six FCA models also occupy the top 10 list of most sold vehicles, of which FCA’s Panda, Ypsilon, 500L and 500 rank in the first four positions. Stateside, the group led by Sergio Marchionne is also in the clear: in the United States Chrysler sold in February 182 879 units, representing a 12% increase of over the same month of 2015 (during which the group had sold 163,586 units) and the best-performing February of the last decade. “It was a decent month for our sales in both Canada and in the USA, as well as in Europe and Italy. I don’t see negative notes with the exception of Latin America. There are no valid reasons to be pessimistic,” commented from Geneva Sergio Marchionne, according to whom “the revival in Europe was long overdue after the interruption of the 2008-2010 period. It serves to show the completeness of the brands.” The CEO says he is confident about the possibility of reaching the 2018 target without mergers – “we decided to go at it alone after General Motors said no” – and to achieve the full employment objective by the same deadline. On the suggestion of the Alfa in Formula 1, at the said: “It would be a great thing – concludes Marchionne – but first we must establish the brand commercially. I think the Ferrari would be willing to support it as it did with Toro Rosso, supplying the engines.” (Roc)
