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New Fiat Suape Plant to Build Mille Replacement

A week ago, Italian manufacturer Fiat announced plans for building its second plant on Brazilian soil. At the time, the carmaker did not go into the details of what would be the models to get manufactured there, but this hasn't stopped the rumor mill from spinning.

According to just-auto.com, the Italians might be rolling off the assembly lines of the plant in Suape’s Industrial District a new low-cost car, one which will replace the current Mille, one of Brazil's oldest, pretty much unchanged vehicles.

The termination of the current Mille as it is being manufactured today will take place in 2014, when the new, stricter safety standards come into effect in the country. The replacement of the model, yet to be confirmed by official sources, would however need to be pretty much in the same price range (or, should we say, continue to be the most affordable local model).

When the Suape plant will be ready, it is hoped to be capable of rolling off its lines 200,000 vehicles per year, including models purpose built for the Brazilian market and other South American countries. Some 3,500 people will be employed in the compound which will also house component and systems suppliers.

According to Fiat, the investment in the facility is of considerable size. The Italians will spend UR1.3 billion ($1.74 billion) on the 4.4 million square meters facility, hoping that the money will begin their return in 2014, when Fiat hopes for a sales figure in Brazil of about 1 million units each year.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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