Page 20 - Port of Baltimore Magazine - July/August 2013

[18] The Port of Baltimore ■ July/August 2013
Coming off a year in which it handled more automobiles
than any other port in the nation, the Port of Baltimore
recently received yet another ringing endorsement
from a major automaker. Fiat arrived on the scene May
24 with its first shipment of about 3,000 2014 500Ls.
Fiat, which took over management of the Chrysler Group in
2009, had been absent from the U.S. market for more than 15
years before delivering the two-door Fiat 500 to the nation in 2011.
However, since the 500 model is assembled in Mexico and brought
up by rail, this year’s introduction of the four-door 500L, which is
built in Serbia, represents the first time in the 21st century that
large numbers of Fiat automobiles have come across the ocean
directly to North America.
PORT AUTOS
FIAT
‘A GOOD FIT’
Italian Automaker Sends First Shipment of
New Model to U.S. Market Through Baltimore
John Griffin, Manager of Port Operations
for Chrysler, noted, “Chrysler Group has
utilized the Port of Baltimore successfully
for many years. It was a good fit for
Fiat to use the Port of Baltimore, given
Chrysler’s presence here and the existing
infrastructure.”
Griffin also pointed out that, with auto
processing taking place on both sides
of the street that provides access to the
Port’s Fairfield Marine Terminal, “We’ll have
Chrysler Group vehicles on the outbound
side and Fiats on the inbound side. It’ll be
a nice balance!”
BALTIMORE HAS
PUT OUT THE
WELCOME MAT.
BY BLAISE WILLIG
Photography by Bill McAllen