Gostoli: Scudo replacement will close the gap between Ducato and Doblo

FIAT Professional has a new CEO of Europe, the Middle East and Africa – Domenico Gostoli and Business Vans caught up with the ex-Iveco man at a recent meeting on a fleeting visit to the UK. In a passionate and open meeting with UK van media, Gostoli revealed his plans for the Fiat Professional brand and future models plans. His first job is to work on the credibility of the brand, which in his words is: “not perceived as it should be.” “We need to put the customer first and see the affect of each reaction on the customer.” He also accepted that the connection between Fiat Professional centres and the market could be better. In his words: “They need to be more reactive and change the communication chain, to speed the reaction.” “I want our people to believe in the company and deliver new ideas for it.” Another area where Gostoli believes Fiat Professional needs to work on is total cost of ownership story. He revealed to us that the company had lost a recent tender because of a lack of fuel consumption data. “We’re not always the best on price, but we are one of the best for fuel consumption. Our powertrains are historically the best.” So how’s he going to get round this problem? Well, by educating Fleet Managers, as he believes that how vans are driven and consumption are at the forefront of Fiat Professional’s UK strategy. So expect more Fiat Professional UK demos and more of the longer loan periods, which Gostoli revealed were gaining traction. Weight is another key van ownership factor, as according to Gostoli, Fiat Professional is one of the lightest on the market. “This is not always taken into consideration, especially when most vans are used at 6% capacity.” Expect Fiat Professional to look closely at the engine range that powers its vans, as although strong in the 95bhp+ area of the market, 65% of the market concentration is now in the 75-95bhp area of the market where they’re not so strong.