Lancia sales up in Italy

[ryan]

From Italiaspeed:

"Fiat Auto continued to consolidate their market share in Italy last month, taking a 26.6% slice, up 1.5% year-on-year.

However in the volume of registrations, the range of exciting new models and engines is really starting to pay off, as, while the market increased by 3.3%, Fiat Auto jumped an impressive 9.5%.

All the brands contributed to this sharp increase, Fiat up 9.4%, Lancia a very welcome 16.1%, and Alfa Romeo 3.4%."

Forza Lancia!

Now lets make this Fulvia.

ps. Anyone know how Lancia is doing in other European countries?

[Mark]

Well whilst Lancia sales being on the increase is a good thing, the fact is that for Lancia Italy really is their only market.

The only figures avalible at the moment are Jan-May 2004, and for that period Lancia have sold 55388 cars in Europe (up 16.2% on 2003), but 46487 of those sales happened in Italy, which means that for 5 months Lancia have sold less than 9000 cars outside Italy in Europe!

What Lancia really need is a second model to sell in resonable numbers like the new Ypsilon, the Ypsilon still accounts for 80% of Lancia sales, and for a brand to be so dependant on one model is very risky. People should really stop going on about the Fulvia, its not going to happen! Although i'd love to see it, the costs of such a car are too great for a company like Lancia. Obviously Fiat Auto would pick up the bill, but Fiat are hardly in great shape at the moment either, still suffering heavy loses (albeit better than last year). Fiat Auto should reverse their decision on canning the Lybra, its a segment Lancia need to be in, and lets be honest they could put a replacement for the Lybra into production without it costing the earth, just base the thing on a shortened Thesis platform. If there was to be a new Lybra and it could sell 50000-60000 a year (something the current model done in its very first year, but sales have dived ever since) then the Fulvia might be possible.

[De Coninck Stéphane]

Hello... according to "Le Moniteur Atomobile", in their issue of 8th July 2004, Lancia's sales are growing up by 18% for the first quarter of 2004. Good niews.

[Mark]

Well i don't know where they get their info from, but mine is from the ACEA, so you can take it as red that the figure i quoted is correct. And whilst the growth in their sales is welcome, they are still to dependant on the Y and on Italian sales!

[ryan]

I think you underestimate the important of a car like the Fulvia. Lancia needs a halo car to reintroduce the brand. Fiat Auto would pick up the bill? Fiat, Lancia, etc. are Fiat Auto, its really not like Lancia is a seperate entity down the street. Anyway, with proper planning a niche model could be produced in limited numbers that is profitable, if not more so than mass produced econo cars.

[Holland]

In Holland it's going very bad....