Fiats join Jeeps in Paris for first time in Fiat-owned store
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Fiat also is using its so-called Motor Village megastore along Paris's Champs-Elysees to display its Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Maserati brands.
Fiat, which opened the store last week, is the latest automaker to establish a flagship dealership along the city's best-known street, joining Citroen, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Renault and Toyota.
Automakers have targeted the area because the Champs-Elysees annually attracts 180 million visitors, the majority of people who visit from April to September are from outside France. Another reason carmakers set up shops here is because it is only place in the world where they can be situated so close to fashion and luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss and Cartier.
Fiat developed its Motor Village idea four years ago because it wanted a new kind of flagship store. The first to open was the Mirafiori Motor Village in Turin in July 2006.
Fiat's Paris store is located near Rond-Point, a roundabout with numerous fountains at the junction of Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Avenue Matignon-Montaigne.
The Paris Motor Village has been designed to give visitors the chance to experience Italian life past, present and future, Fiat said in a statement.
The interior, created by the architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, features a 14-meter-tall glass tube that is used to display cars from the Fiat Group brands. The position of the cars can be adjusted to provide unique points of view. Fiat says the visual impact of the tube is amplified further by an array of giant mirrors that allow visitors the chance to see the cars as though they were looking through a giant kaleidoscope.
Fiat took a controlling 20 percent stake in Chrysler Group in June 2009. Since then, Fiat has decided that Jeep will be the Chrysler Group's No. 1 brand in Europe. The brand Dodge will be a niche player that sells rear-drive muscle cars in Europe while Chrysler brand vehicles will be sold as Lancias throughout continental Europe.
You can reach Luca Ciferri at lciferri@crain.com.
