MUMBAI, APR 4: Fiat India Limited today launched a 1.2-litre petrol variant of the Uno which is Euro-III compliant at a competitive price tag of Rs 3,25,450 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Initially the car is only being launched in Delhi and will be introduced in other cities in a phased manner. The car is being launched in three variants - Uno 1.2 EL non-AC, Uno 1.2 EL AC and Uno 1.2 ELX AC. The Delhi ex-showroom prices of the variants are Rs 2,95,450, Rs 3,25,450 and Rs 3,42,767 respectively.The new variant sports a 1242 cc engine that delivers 62 bhp. It has a multipoint fuel injection system (MPFI), besides improved upholstery. It doesn't have a variant with power-steering though. Fiat India will, however, continue to sell the 1000cc FIRE-technology driven Uno petrol (that runs on a carburetor) in the rest of the country. In the capital, due to the Supreme Court order on vehicular emission, the company can only sell the 1.2-litre petrol version.With the launch of the new version, Uno is the most powerful car in its segment (after Indica petrol, which is powered by a 1400cc engine). Besides Uno, Matiz is the only other car that claims to be Euro-III compliant. With the launch of this version, Fiat also hopes to shed its diesel image. "We want to tell the Indian buyer that we are not a diesel company,'' G Ravina, Managing Director, Fiat India Limited said at a press conference organised at its Kurla plant here today.The company will be launching Siena Weekend, the Station Wagon version of the Siena by May-end. The Station Wagon is likely to be priced higher than the existing versions of the Siena. Fiat India is yet to decide on whether to launch the Station Wagon in a higher engine capacity or to launch it in the existing versions. A final decision to that effect is likely to be taken on April 21, Ravina said.The company has further postponed its plans to launch Fiat Palio. This time on, Fiat India plans to introduce the car only next year. Asked why the Fiat has been postponing the launch of the Palio for the last year or so, Ravina said that the main reason behind the delay is that Fiat India wants to reach a higher indigenous content in the Palio. This way, Fiat India can competitively price the Palio and generate volumes, Ravina said. "We have to first reach the target cost, and that means achieving an indigenous content of over 70 per cent,'' Ravina said.The indigenous content in the case of Uno is 70 per cent, while in the case of the Siena it is close to 50 per cent. The company chief said that Fiat India's target is to launch the car below the Rs 4 lakh price tag. He also mentioned that the company is working on the looks of the car in order to make it look different from the Siena.Fiat India hopes to break even with the launch of the Palio. It hopes to sell over 50,000 units of Palio in the first year of launch. Meanwhile, Fiat India would be inaugurating a training centre in Ranjangaon, near Pune, on April 18. "We want to build an international standard service support with the setting up of this dealer service centre,'' he said.
