Page 22 - Port of Baltimore Magazine - July/August 2013
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The Port of Baltimore
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July/August 2013
The Innovative,
Value-loaded 500L
Packs Plenty of Italian Style
“The all-new Fiat 500L
expands the reach of
the Fiat brand in North
America, appealing to customers who like the contemporary Italian
style of the Fiat 500 but need more space and functionality to match
their lifestyle needs,” said Jason Stoicevich, Head of Fiat Brand North
America, Chrysler Group LLC. “The Fiat 500L offers the whole package,
with best-in-class interior space, class-leading horsepower, exclusive
technology features and the style that only Italians can create.”
Building on the style, efficiency and driving enjoyment that has made
the Fiat 500 an icon for more than a half-century, the 2014 Fiat 500L has
added two more doors and accommodations for five passengers.
»
Four 500L models are being made available, all featuring a
160-horsepower, 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo engine and fuel-efficient, six-
speed transmission. The starting U.S. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail
Price (MSRP) is $19,100 (plus $800 destination).
»
More than one million of the modern Fiat 500 have been sold in
about 110 countries since its global launch in 2007. According to the
automaker, the Fiat 500L is designed to “accommodate even more of
life’s greatest experiences and emotions all together: children, friends,
journeys, music and community.”
and we have the desire to stay there,”
said James J. White, Maryland Port
Administration (MPA) Executive Director.
White added, “You don’t get to be No. 1 by
reputation, you get it by hard work from
everybody involved. Now, having a new
brand like Fiat moving through the Port,
it’s a big day for all of us to share in.”
Auto Warehousing Company, which
arrived in 2012 to become the Port’s
fourth onsite auto processor, is handling
the Fiat account. “In business, everybody
likes choices,” White noted. “Having
another quality processor here [with
Fiat is expected to import approximately
30,000 500Ls through Baltimore in the
first year, with Auto Warehousing then
preparing the vehicles for shipment by
truck or rail to dealer locations. The new
business should result in the creation of
more than 200 Maryland jobs, including
80 direct Port jobs.
As the first 500Ls rolled off of the
Grimaldi
Grand Benelux
in May, a dock-side
ceremony was held that included Vladimir
Petrovic, Ambassador of the Republic of
Serbia. “It’s a great day, I think, for the
Port, and for Serbia definitely, to have this
product come into the Port of Baltimore,”
Petrovic said as he received a ceremonial
ship’s wheel from former U.S. Rep. Helen
Delich Bentley. “It’s a great honor for us,
… it’s a great port, and it’s a great car that
I’m looking forward to buying soon!”
Representing the Grimaldi Group,
William F. Kearns, Executive Vice President,
Atlantic Container Line, added that the
quality care of automobiles bound for
Baltimore has to start before the vessel
arrives at the Fairfield terminal. “We have
Auto Warehousing] is great for us when
competing ports may have only one
processor.”
Ben Seher, Senior Vice President for
Washington-based Auto Warehousing,
acknowledged both the “great partnership”
that has developed with the Port of
Baltimore and the excitement that
surrounds Fiat’s arrival. “This is huge for
us,” Seher said. “This is our first venture
with an East Coast port, … it’s a great, new
vehicle entering the market and we have 30
employees out here who are all hungry for
the product!”
COURTESY OF FIAT
