Automotive Industry

Ford regains top import spot in Italy; Fiat loses share in home market.(News)

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Byline: Luca Ciferri

Ford has regained its position as Italy's top auto importer.

Ford dislodged German-based Opel, which has held the top spot for the past five years.

Fiat Auto maintains the No. 1 position overall in its home market. But its share dropped to 28 percent last year, from 30.2 percent in 2002.

Massimo Pasanisi, CEO of Ford Italy, said strong sales of new products such as the Fiesta and Fusion helped Ford rebound.

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"Focus sales were also crucial," he said. "The Focus was Italy's top selling diesel car in 2003." Ford sold 60,727 units ...