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27 Feb 2001
INTERNATIONAL MOTOR SHOW - Juan José Diaz Ruiz
Good morning everyone.
You've heard it from Roberto Testore: 2001 will be the year we take off.
So what will our sales strategy be? How will we get the Fiat Group airborne.
The backbone of our strategy will be to realise the huge potential of the Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo brands.
Allow me to explain very simply how we plan to develop our brands - and hence our products.
Our brand strategy is backed by an accurate perception of individual brand customers and markets.
Fiat is the brand of substance, fun and ingenious solutions for all.
It is epitomised by the phrase 'Life in primary colours'.
Now Fiat's aim is to achieve success in segment C, namely the heart of the European market.
Alfa Romeo is the brand that has reinvented the concept of élite sportiness.
It has won the Car of the Year prize twice in the last four years.
This success is attracting a new generation of customers.
Lancia is the essence of Italian Style: exclusivity, appeal and technological innovation.
An evergreen formula that has again proved successful with the Lybra.
Now Lancia must draw strength from the prestige of its new flagship, the Thesis.
This is the profile of our brands. Three brands that are set to become market winners - and this is why.
We'll begin with Fiat. Fiat is a leader in segments A and B - but we want it to become a true full-liner.
This is why we have created the Fiat Stilo: to shift the brand's centre of gravity upward.
We have used the Fiat Stilo to accentuate aspects of substance: élite quality and technological innovation.
The Fiat Stilo will launch a new style:
The Fiat Stilo offers a new driving style, with two dimensions:
All the construction features target these individual customer groups: for example, the 5-door version offers an MPV-like H point.
Other features are common to both models:
The Fiat Stilo is a third millennium car: free and easy, always in communication with the world via CONNECT - which is currently the ultimate expression of mobility.
CONNECT was first introduced with the Alfa 147. We announced it at Monte Carlo.
This is not all: the Alfa 147 admits you to a new world.
The Alfa 147 is the Fiat Group car customers naturally aspire to as their status and spending potential increase.
The product range is now complemented by a five door version and JTD versions. There is a 147 for everybody.
The Alfa 147 embodies the values of the new economy: it is youthful, dynamic and made for people who travel the world and wish to change the world.
Above all, the 147 is the car of the next generation. This is borne out by the first buyers' study: it's audience is made up of
The 147 is a great weapon for conquest and is creating a strong base for the Alfa brand.
Many new Alfa customers will remain faithful to our theme of élite sportiness and will grow up through the ranks of Alfa Romeo until they reach the 166.
Others will look for a more sophisticated environment and more mature luxury.
Customers who choose the speed and dynamism of Alfa Romeo when they are moving up in their careers, may turn to Lancia, symbol of Italian prestige and style when they are at their professional peak.
Lancia is our prestige brand.
With the Thesis, Lancia sets a new benchmark for luxury saloons.
We know that flagships are an exclusive club that is very difficult to enter. You must be asking yourselves:
how will Lancia manage to gain admission to that closed number of dream cars?
It is a very, very difficult challenge. Because flagships offer superlative quality, safety, comfort and technology.
The Lancia Thesis meets all these requirements.
And this is not all: it offers something more that only we can provide.
The Thesis is all about the best aspects of being Italian. Italians are, after all, masters of design and cultivators of sophisticated form.
We have produced a car that combines appeal with technological perfection.
We have given the Thesis
To sum up: the Thesis is crafted high technology applied to the very essence of Italian style.
The Thesis confirms Lancia as an aspirational brand - that makes flagships of all sizes.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the Fiat Group genome.
A genome that links three independent brands, each with its own personality and nature.
Because of its brands, the Fiat Group can stay with customers throughout their life cycles:
In this way, the three brands generate greater loyalty than they could on their own.
2001 is a world of opportunity for us. An extraordinary year that will see us launch no fewer than 5 new cars between March and November:
All these launches will give us an opportunity to get together again.
The process we have set in motion today is not a monologue. It is a dialogue.
Because one of the features of Fiat Auto's turnaround is its ability to listen.
Our current cars are inspired by the three guidelines that underpin our entire strategy:
This is a historical juncture, my friends, prepared for by years of hard work. I haven't been here very long, so I would like to thank the people who really played a leading role in this work:
It is a turnaround that is already beginning to reap rewards:
- production figures for the new Punto reached one million in 19 months;
- in 2000, Lancia was the fastest-growing élite brand in Europe;
- lastly, the Alfa 147 brought home the title of Car of the Year and also 55,000 orders - even before its launch is complete.
What do all these figures mean?
Customers are beginning to repay us for our strategy and our hard work.
And when customers repay us, we can be sure we are on the right track.
We are on the way, my friends. We are on the runway waiting for Fiat Auto to take off. We know we have very strong adversaries, but we are going full steam ahead. And it's only the beginning.
Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you.
Geneva, February 27 2001