Fiat sets a benchmark with the Petra Petrol
By Our Corporate Bureau | 30 Apr 2004
Mumbai: Fiat India announced the launch of its latest offering — the Fiat Petra EL (1.6 Petrol). The Petra with a 1.6 litre engine, will be the first to offer the Indian customer a car priced below the Rs. 5 lakh-mark in the C-segment. Modelled on the successful 178 platform, the Petra is an elegantly designed vehicle powered by the 1596 cc, 16-valve DOHC ‘Torque’ engine, that belts out 100bhp at 5,500 revs.
Commercial deliveries of Fiat Petra will commence from 30 April and will be available at a pricetag of Rs. 4,75,250 (Ex-showroom, New Delhi).
The interiors are designed for comfort, with fine upholstery, power windows, power steering, central locking and a built-in powerful air conditioner cum heater. A sub-frame mounted front suspension results in impressive ride quality, plus adequate ground clearance at 170 mm has been provided, keeping in mind Indian road conditions.
Adhering to stringent international standards, the Petra has an Economic Council of Europe (ECE) standard crash-tested cabin that crumples in a controlled manner and a fire prevention system that cuts fuel supply to prevent fires during an accident. The car comes in four colour options — Silver Frost, Thunder Black, Glacier White and Hazel Grey.
Speaking at the launch, Ananda Mohan Gupta, director - commercial, Fiat India, said, “Fiat Petra offered at the said price will make a significant impact in the Indian market. The launch also re-iterates our commitment to India where our focus has been to offer complete mobility solutions with a strong emphasis on ‘technology’ and ‘value for money’ to all our customers. Fiat Petra will have all these attributes and for the first time, a 1.6 engine would be available at an attractive price of less than Rs. 5 lakhs, hereby reinforcing the ‘proud to own’ association with Fiat. With the diesel and another petrol variant to be launched shortly under the Petra label, these luxury sedans will offer the Indian automobile owner, the best of Italian engineering, technology, styling, safety, performance, comfort and sheer driving pleasure.”
The company will hit the nation with a direct marketing campaign based on the ‘Center of Gravity’ tagline that focuses on the unbeatable price, power and efficiency. A nationwide on-ground promotion in conjunction with IOCL has already been kicked off. Every customer visiting select IOCL petrol pumps will be presented with an invitation to visit the nearest Fiat showroom to test-drive the Petra.
