Jan. 4 – Fiat, in 2012, bested its historical record of production and sales in Brazil, recording the best performance in the 36 years of presence in the country. 838,219 cars and light commercial vehicles were sold between January and December, for an increase of 11.1% from the previous year (754,276 units) and an increase of 10.2 % compared to record sales set by the company in 2010 with 760,495 units. These numbers confirm Fiat’s first place in the Brazilian market for the eleventh year. The company closed 2012 with a total of 3,634,510 cars and commercial light vehicles registered; this way, Fiat increased its market share, reaching 23.1% (which remained at 22% in 2011). “This is our best year in 36 presence in Brazil because we identified the market recovery and we were ready to accelerate production at the right time, gaining positions in the market share,” said Cledorvino Belini, president of Fiat / Chrysler for Latin America. The best-selling cars were the various models of Fiat Uno, with 255,149 units, and Strada, with 117,464 units. Fiat also established its own production record, up to 759,000 cars and light commercial vehicles, a 12.5% increase compared to 2011, which sold 675,000 units, and a 10% increase in comparison to the historical record of 690,000 units set in 2010.
