No new model nor market for the Fiat 500L

Some 3,000 staff of the company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Srbija (FCAS) were sent on paid leave yesterday until 7 March because of a lack of work. Although this is the first serious standstill this year in FCA Serbia's production of all versions of the Fiat 500L, staff at the company are ever more worried. This is not only due to the fact that pay during forced leave is only 65% of the regular salary, but perhaps even more because there has been no announcement about production of the new model at the Kragujevac plant, where because of the Serbian government not even the managing bodies are functioning.

“There is no information about the new model 500L, but no new market for the existing one either, so the workers are openly in fear for the factory's future”, said FCA Serbia union president Zoran Marković to Danas. “Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić said recently in Kraljevo that it was not serious, and irresponsible to declare a possible exit strategy from Serbia for Fiat, but it takes nothing for at least the factory supervisory board to work. On the contrary, two months have passed since it was confirmed that the state's candidate to chair this managing body may not fill the position because he would be in a conflict of interest, but the government has not proposed anyone else for the position, so the work of the supervisory board is blocked. If he can't chair it himself, we are appealing to the Prime Minister to finally propose someone who can, to unblock the work of the managing bodies.”

To encourage demand for Fiat's models on the domestic market, FCA Serbia has otherwise launched a new campaign to swap old cars for new. For example, the model Fiat 500L Pop can be bought for 9,900 euros if the buyer offers in exchange (for recycling) a vehicle more than ten years old. Besides the 500L, the campaign covers the Panda which with recycling costs 7,990 euros, the Punto at 8,990 euros the Fiat 500 at 9,490 euros and the SUV Fiat 500X whose starting price with recycling an old car comes to 14,490 euros.

Translation provided by: www.halifax-translation.com