Ateco Automotive Pty Ltd will take over the Australian and New Zealand distribution of two of the world's most famous marques, Ferrari and Maserati, in mid-October 2005 from The Sutton Group as part of a worldwide programme to consolidate the Fiat Group's luxury and performance brands under single distributors.

"It is nothing less than an honour to be given the responsibility of handling these two unique brands," says Neville Crichton, Governing Director of Ateco Automotive Pty Ltd. "They represent the pinnacle of performance, style and technical sophistication, as well as boasting a history that runs through the very heart of the entire automobile industry and they are, of course, a byword for everything that is best in car design and performance on and off the race track."

Neville Crichton

Ateco Automotive returned Alfa Romeo to the Australia market in 1998 and it has succeeded in making the Italian brand once again a much sort-after choice for car buyers looking for style and performance. Ateco is also the New Zealand Alfa Romeo and Fiat importer.

In 2002 Ateco returned the Fiat brand to Australia in the shape of the Fiat commercial vehicle range, with the Fiat Ducato becoming a popular choice for both commercial vehicle users and, with five Australian companies using them as the basis for their businesses, motorhomes.

In addition to the Fiat group brands, Ateco Automotive Pty Ltd has been very successful with Citroën, a brand it took over in 1994, overseeing a ten-fold increase in sales and taking the French brand from one model to, with the launch of the C4 this year, six models, and providing the brand with its Australian debut in the commercial vehicle market with the Berlingo.

But it is the Kia brand that has, in volume terms, seen the biggest change under the auspices of Ateco Automotive. Taken over in 2000 by Ateco, the Kia brand was struggling to sell 4,000 units in Australia, but with Ateco behind it, Kia has increased sales five fold, a figure that would have been higher had Kia been able to keep up with demand. En route to this massive increase in Australian sales, Kia has made the Carnival, Pregio and K2700 the most popular people mover, diesel van and light truck respectively in their Australian market sectors and put Kia into the list of Australia's top ten favourite car brands.

This year Ateco Automotive's billion-dollar business will deliver more than 35,000 vehicles to new owners in Australia and New Zealand through its network of more than 180 dealers.

The Fiat Group indicated its policy change on the position and representation of its brands earlier this year with the creation of a new business unit on 1st April 2005 that brings together the Maserati and Alfa Romeo brands under the management of Karl-Heinz Kalbfell, who added the responsibility of the new business unit to that of his role heading the Alfa Romeo brand. The stated goal of the move is the increase efficiencies of both brands, from design, through manufacture to distribution at all levels.

Ultimately, one result of this change has been the change of distribution arrangements in Australia and New Zealand. The Sutton Group has successfully distributed Ferrari in Australia and New Zealand for eight years and Maserati for six years.