Brazil overtakes Italy as Fiat's biggest market

Fiat sold more cars in Brazil than in Italy, in 2009...

Fiat, always a hugely popular car brand in its home market, Italy, is now even more popular in South America, in Brazil. For the first time in Fiat’s 111-year history, the company sold more cars in a foreign market than its home market – 750,000 Fiat cars were sold in Brazil in 2009, as compared with 722,000 units in Italy.

Fiat outpaced companies like Volkswagen and General Motors in the Brazilian market in 2009, with VW selling 695,395 units and GM selling 610,836 units. Of course, Fiat’s India operations are nowhere in the same league, but the Italian company is ramping up efforts to improve its sales here. By the end of this year, Fiat aims to add 10 dealers to its network across India, which already has 100 outlets in 78 cities