CALCUTTA, January 22: Premier Automobiles Ltd (PAL) is planning a price differential of Rs 65,000 between the petrol and diesel versions of Fiat Uno. The diesel version is expected to be on the roads before the end of the current fiscal.At present the company is conducting a survey amongst its dealers to determine the expected offtake of both its versions "if the ex-showroom price difference between Fiat Uno petrol & diesel version is set at around Rs 65,000."
The petrol version of the car, launched in 1996, is now available at around Rs 3.62 lakh. The proposed price differential at nearly 18 per cent is higher than the originally planned 15 per cent.
According to dealers, given the proposed price differential the expected offtake will be evenly balanced between the two versions. The available figures show that the Fiat Uno is not a very popular car in the eastern region and during the current month the total number of cars sold in this region is less than 10. As opposed to that, more than 40 diesel
versions of Premier 137-D, also from the PAL stable, have been sold during the current month. However, according to industry sources, the diesel model is plugged as the ace in PAL's pack and is expected to boost sales considerably. The diesel engine will be more powerful than the petrol version with a displacement capacity of 1700cc, an output of 58 bhp (brake horsepower) and an extremely economical 17 km per litre (kpl) consumption.
The petrol engine gives an output of 45 bhp with a 1000cc engine and its fuel consumption averages at 13 kpl.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
