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FIAT BACK IN AUSTRALIAN CAR SHOWROOMS THIS WEEKEND!
Australian car buyers will be able to walk into a showroom on Saturday (1 July 2006) for the first time in nearly two decades and buy a Fiat car, with the launch of the new Fiat Punto signalling the return of one of Italy’s most famous car brands to the local market.
Nearly twenty new Fiat car dealers, from Tasmania to Townsville, Sydney to Perth, will fling open their doors on Saturday for the first time, will the Punto being the debut model in what will grow to be a range of cars that aim to bring something new and exciting to the Australia market.
“The return of Fiat to Australia has been a long time in coming and we have put a lot of work into making sure that everything is right for Fiat in Australia,” says David Stone, General Manager for Fiat Cars in Australia. “We wanted to make sure that we had exactly the right car, at the right price and with the right equipment. With Punto, we have ticked all the boxes!”
“For a start it looks wonderful and, as it is designed by the world’s leading car designer, that beauty is far more than skin deep. It has a depth of technology, engineering and safety that makes it a benchmark, from its unique range of advanced diesel engines to its five star Euro-NCAP safety rating. We have then backed this up with a full equipment list, with items such as ABS brakes, AirCon, electric windows, twin mode power steering, trip computer and cruise control standard right across the range. To complete the package, we have excellent pricing starting at $19,990 for the five door Punto 1.4.”
The new Punto is just the start for Fiat in Australia.
During the next 18 months the Italian car maker plans to add a full range of brand new models to its Australian line-up. Initially they will be sold through the dealers that are already handling Alfa Romeo cars, but as sales build Fiat plans to start appoint Fiat-specific dealers. Fiat commercial vehicles, which have built an enviable reputation in Australia for durability and reliability, will continue to be handled through their own specialist dealer group that focuses on the specific demands of the van user.
For the Australian importer, Ateco Automotive, the launch of Fiat cars represents the third phase of its launch programme for products from the Fiat Group, with Sydney-based importer launching Alfa Romeo into the Australian car market in 1998 and Fiat commercial vehicles in 2000. The company is also the importer for Ferrari and Maserati and, in addition, runs the New Zealand distribution for all these brands, providing it with a wealth of experience and expertise to ensure the success of Fiat in Australia.
“After all our preparation and planning, now is the time for everyone to judge for themselves just how good the Punto is, with the first cars in showrooms across Australia on Saturday,” says Mr Stone. “Anyone who is in the market for a small car must add the Punto to their shopping list and everyone who loves cars will want to see the Punto, the latest car from a company that boasts a unique reputation for passionate, exciting and beautiful cars!”
The Fiat Punto – In Detail
Fiat’s attractive new supermini is the largest car in the highly competitive small car segment, combining class-leading accommodation with high quality build, flexible and practical interiors, comprehensive equipment levels, state-of-the-art technology and the superior driving dynamics of larger, higher segment vehicles.
As a result of top quality construction, research and development, Punto, which has undergone a gruelling testing regime comprising more than 5,000,000 kilometres, also meets the highest safety standards. Benefiting from the company’s unrivalled expertise in the field of small cars, new Punto has been awarded a maximum 5-star safety rating in the gruelling Euro NCAP crash test programme.
Achieving 5 stars for passenger safety, 3 stars for child protection and a further 3 for pedestrian protection, the new Fiat recorded a total of 33 points out of a possible 37 – the highest overall score yet recorded in its market category.
Five versions of the new Punto, priced from a remarkably competitive $19,990 to $27,990, will be available from launch, embracing three and five door versions with three trim levels – Dynamic, Emotion and Sport. Augmenting an interior design founded on the fundamental pre-requisites of class-leading space, high quality build, and visual and tactile sophistication, the new Fiat’s equipment specification has been carefully considered to simplify and enhance life on board.
Standard equipment on all versions includes ABS anti-lock braking, cruise control,remote central locking, front, side and curtain airbags, electric front windows, Air Conditioning, a CD player with steering wheel controls, electric operated and heated door mirrors, Dualdrive electric power steering and Follow Me Home headlamps.
This comprehensive equipment package means a very limited options list, with just two items, the glass SkyDome electric sunroof and paint options.
The all-new Punto has already picked up some notable international media awards, including The Golden Steering Wheel (Germany); Auto Europa (Italy), and Best City Car (France).
It goes on sale in Australia with a choice of four powerplants, including the widest diesel engine range in its category, opening with a 1.4 litre 57 kW petrol engine. The range then continues with three of the most sophisticated diesel engines in the market place, all using the Fiat patented Multijet system, with a 1.3 unit offering 66 kW and two 1.9 units, the 88 kW version for the five door and a 96 kW power unit for the range-topping Punto Sport 3 door. All diesel versions have six speed gearboxes to fully maximise the potential of these highly efficient power units.
Future additions to the engine range include a new StarJet 67kw 1.4 litre 16-valve petrol engine, which, along with the option of Dualogic – a sophisticated, clutchless, five or six speed speed sequential manual shift with a selectable, fully automatic mode – will be available later in the year. Further, more powerful engine options are ‘in the pipeline’.
These developments will equip the all-new Punto with the widest, most advanced range of engines and transmissions available in small car sector.
With a 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating to its name, the new Punto builds on an already impressive safety portfolio with the full range of braking, traction control and stability systems available on the market. Along with standard equipment ABS anti-lock brakes, complete with electronic brakeforce distribution, Punto Multijet 1.9 diesel versions are equipped with ASR to limit wheelspin during acceleration, MSR to modulate brake torque whilst changing down, and a sophisticated ESP to control stability through bends. Vehicles fitted with ESP also benefit from hydraulic brake assistance and a unique Hill Holder function to facilitate smooth hill starts.
With 15,000 orders placed and 100,000 test-drives booked within just five days of the new Punto going on sale in Europe, Fiat expects to better initial global sales predictions of 360,000 cars per annum. Over 150,000 versions of the all-new Punto have been sold since its launch in late September last year.
The original Punto was introduced in 1993 and immediately became a hugely successful product throughout Europe. By its second year in production, it had already been voted European Car of the Year, and became Europe’s best selling small car, ahead of the Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 206 and Renault Clio. In 1997, it was the best selling car in Europe, outright.
So the new Punto is one of the most important vehicles in Fiat’s 107 year history, because it is the latest in a long line of advanced, stylish small cars that has created and built Fiat’s legendary heritage.
These advanced small cars started with the original Fiat 500, launched in 1936 as the world’s smallest mass production car and nicknamed Topolino, or Mickey Mouse.
The price of the original Fiat 500 made it accessible to people who had hitherto never been able to afford one, and it did it with the style and panache of much larger, more expensive cars.
In 1955 the Fiat 600 was launched, followed by a new 500 in 1957. Another classic small car, the 600 was also the basis for the Fiat 600 Multipla, launched in 1956. With its revolutionary six seat layout in a small car, it laid the foundations for the millions of people movers that followed more than 40 years later.
These classic small cars, which provided real value for their customers, have been followed by generations of world-beating designs, such as the Fiat 127 in 1971, fore-runner of the modern front-wheel drive hatchback, the first and second generation Pandas, the Fiat Uno, and the first generations of the Fiat Punto, a car that has been purchased by more than six million people, and is still in production.
The all-new Punto, therefore, has a hefty reputation to maintain. So it’s not surprising that it sets safety and quality standards that are particularly high for its category. It boasts the widest range of diesel engines, has a very competitive price/content ratio, and offers conspicuous value to customers. As a result, Punto meets the fundamental requirements of this class, and then it adds a new level of styling, along with a driving experience that befits a country that produces the world’s best sports cars, and does it all in a highly original way.
Developed by Italdesign, together with the Fiat Styling Centre, Punto stands out in the current automotive scene for its appearance, which is modern, elegant and distinctly Italian, with a Mediterranean stylistic ‘language’ inspired by the sports cars of the 1950s and 1960s.
Like the exterior, the interior of Punto represents the most evolved expression of Italian styling, thanks to the quality of the materials and the care that has gone into detailing. The result is a bright, welcoming, yet still functional environment.
This is a car created to ‘excite’, but also to express the solidity that comes from high quality standards. This is borne out by extremely high safety standards; attention to detail that is unusual in this market bracket, and exceptional comfort.
This impression is confirmed by the car’s external dimensions, which put it at the top of its category: it is 4030 mm long, 1687 mm wide, 1490 mm high and has a wheelbase of 2510 mm, measurements which translate into an extraordinary amount of interior space and comfort, and which are also significant in terms of the car’s crash safety performance.
Punto is clearly a car of superior quality: from the very first stages of the project, the team working on it pursued very high standards, drawing on a stringent engineering process, based on a very strong all-new platform, while it applied the most advanced, innovative reliability methodologies throughout the model’s development and construction. This is a car built to be solid and safe.And finally, Punto is agile and enjoyable to drive in all situations, and its engines combine strong performance, low fuel consumption and respect for the environment.
Styling, comfort, best-in-class safety standards, solidity and a highly competitive price: these are the guidelines along which Punto was developed; a car created for young adults, for first-time car buyers, for women, and for young families.
To meet the requirements of this broad customer base, Punto offers vibrant Italian styling, a symbol of character and refinement, in three or five door form. The three door version is more assertive and dynamic, and will appeal above all to performance and style-driven owners, while the five door version strikes a balance between styling and comfort, performance and safety, access and its distinctive look.
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NEW FIAT PUNTO PRICE LIST
Version / Body / Trim / Engine/gearbox / Recommended retail pricePunto Dynamic / 5 door / Cloth / 1.4 litre 57 kW / 5 sp man / $19,990
Punto Dynamic / 5 door / Cloth / 1.3 litre 66 kW diesel / 6 sp man / $22,990
Punto Emotion / 5 door / Cloth / 1.9 litre 88 kW diesel / 6 sp man / $27,990
Punto Sport / 3 door / Sports Cloth / 1.9 litre 96 kW diesel / 6 sp man / $27,990
Options / Punto Dynamic / Punto Dynamic 1.3 / Punto Emotion 1.9 / Sport
Metallic Paint / $750 / $750 / $750 / Standard
Pastel Paint / $750 / $750 / $750 / $750
Electric Sunroof / $1950 / $1950 / $1950 / $1950
AUSTRALIAN FIAT CAR DEALER GROUP
NB: These are the companies that will be Fiat dealers from 1 July 2006, they may not be names with which they start trading on 1 July 2006. This list is a guide to enable themedia make contact with the dealers prior to the launch. Please check with the dealer concerned.
Dealership name / Dealer Principal / Address / Telephone / FaxACT
Alfa Romeo Canberra / Graeme Day / Cnr Albany and Collie Streets Fyshwick ACT 2609 / 02 6280 9888 / 02 6280 9889
NSW
Alfa Italia / Robert Stewart-Moore / 545 Pacific Hwy Crows Nest NSW2065 / 02 9966 5499 / 02 9966 5399
Rick Damelian Alfa Romeo / Warren Smith / 555-563 Parramatta Road Leichhardt NSW2040 / 02 9560 1000 / 02 9568 3076
Albury Alfa Romeo / Peter Seaton / 474 Wagga Road Lavington NSW2641 / 02 6040 1133 / 02 6040 1135
Alto Alfa Romeo / Anthony Altomonte / 85 Lambton Road Broadmeadow NSW 2292 / 02 4969 6022 / 02 4962 2463
Orange Alfa Romeo / Anthony Shepherd / 63 Molong RoadOrange NSW2800 / 02 6362 8100 / 02 6361 4369
Thomson Alfa Romeo / Anthony Politis / 43-47 Church StreetParramatta NSW2150 / 02 9635 0811 / 02 9635 7099
Corban Automotive / Michael Corban / Cnr Gipps & Flinders StreetWollongong NSW2500 / 02 4229 9111 / 02 4229 9711
Peter Donnelly Alfa Romeo / Peter Donnelly / 10 Mill Road Campbelltown NSW2560 / 02 4628 2933 / 02 4627 4296
QLD
Alfa Romeo Brisbane / Greg Willims / 400 Wickham Street Fortitude Valley QLD4006 / 07 3634 8600 / 07 3252 8074
Honeycombes Prestige / Allan Baxter / 15 Bowen Road Townsville QLD4812 / 07 4729 5222 / 07 4725 6620
Alfa Romeo Gold Coast / Greg Willims / 35 Nind StreetSouthport QLD4215 / 07 5532 4000 / 07 5532 4040
SA
Prestige Formula / Bob Corradini / 269-271 Glen Osmond Road Frewville SA5063 / 08 8338 7755 / 08 8338 9999
TAS
Performance Automoblies / John Pooley / 162-164 Argyle StreetHobart TAS7000 / 03 6236 3700 / 03 6236 3709
VIC
Lance Dixon Alfa Romeo / Lance Dixon / 571 Doncaster RoadDoncaster VIC3108 / 03 9848 8888 / 03 9848 8485
Robert Lane Alfa / Robert Lane / Gary Lowe / 801 Nepean HwyBrighton VIC 3186 / 03 9563 9999 / 03 9557 5916
WA
Barbagallo / Alf Barbagallo / 354 Scarborough Beach RoadOsbourne ParkWA6016 / 08 9231 5999 / 08 9242 3717
For further information:
Fiat media web site:
David Stone / Edward RoweGeneral Manager ~ Fiat Cars / Public Relations Manager
Ateco Automotive Pty Ltd / Ateco Automotive Pty Ltd
Ph: (02) 9701 8040 / Ph: (02) 9701 8015
Mob: 0407 166 156 / Mob: 0407 913 244
Fax: (02) 9701 3544 / Fax: (02) 9701 3555
E-mail: / E-mail:
Fiat Media web site:
Release Number: 127-fiat-AU
Date of Issue: 21 October 2018. Time of Issue: 00:28:07