Fiat Auto has confirmed that Fiat Siena, the three box spin-off version from the A 178 world car platform, along with the hatchback and the estate versions will be launched in India.
Pietro Sighichelli, vice president (International development), Fiat Auto said whatever happens on or off the court between PAL and Peugeot, will not hamper the A 178 project from becoming a reality. Sighichelli was optimistic of launching the first batch of cars by end-1999. It took only 18 months for the A 178 plant at Cordoba, Argentina to become operational, but will take more time in India, he added. The plant is set to come up at a greenfield site at Ranjangaon, near Pune. Work will be undertaken in consultancy with Fiat Engineering, a Fiat group company, he added.
The Fiat Palio Weekend, which is the estate version of the car, has already been launched in Argentina and is also sold in Europe. The Siena is now sold in Argentina and Brazil only. Fiat is considering a 1900cc diesel engine for the A 178 platform. They will also be using the same engine to power the diesel version of the Uno which will make its debut soon after Fiat takes control of the Kurla operations. At present the Palio Weekend is powered by either a 1500cc or a 1600cc multi-point fuel injected,16-valve petrol powered engine.
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Apart from Magnetti Marelli for components, the Fiat group will also be bringing in Teksid, the foundry division of the group, to manufacture engine blocks and other metallurgical components in India. Pasquino Sterza, representative, Fiat international operations in India, said Teksid will not operate as a sole supplier for Fiat but will also cater to other car companies once the foundry was operational. Teksid has identified a site in Goa. Globally, Teksid has eight European and the three American auto giants in their customer list. It is expected to supply engine blocks and cylinder heads to General Motors India and Mahindra Ford as they indigenise their engines.
Meanwhile Fiat has chosen 48 engineering trainees for various operations and they will soon be undergoing an eight-month programme at Isvor-Fiat Italy. Isvor is the training, education and consulting arm of Fiat. The company will put up an independent training unit near the Fiat plant in India. Claudio Poli, CEO, Isvor Fiat, said Isvor is a full-liner' company, offering training at all levels, from senior executives to managers, middle level managers, technicians, specialists and skilled workers. It has 1,000 different training programmes, 50,000 participants per year, 260 full-time teachers, 150 associate teachers and an international network of 800 consultants from fifteen countries.
The Isvor operations nets $556 million in revenues for the Fiat group. While 70 per cent of the Isvor operations are for the Fiat Group companies, outside customers use up to 30 per cent. The Isvor facility in India will also function in the same pattern.