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41 AutoData | December 2018 Fernão Silveira with Toro’s trophy T he market success of the Fiat Toro pickup truck is undeniable. Until October, according to Fenabrave figures, it has accumulated 49 thousand units sold this year alone, which places the vehicle as the third best- selling model of the brand in Brazil, behind Strada, with 56 thousand, and Argo, 53 thousand, and second best-selling light commercial vehicle, also losing only to Strada. It is worth remembering that before Toro’s arrival the company had never had a medium-sized pickup truck in its portfolio: until February 2016, when it was launched, the only Fiat-branded pickup truck was Strada, derived from the Palio family. So, neither dealers nor the customers were accustomed to such a proposal - which did not hinder it from succeeding at all. In March this year the model broke the barrier of 100 thousand units sold since its launch. Completely developed at FCA Design Center Latam in Betim, MG, and manufactured in Goiana, PE, Toro has received several design awards, such as the iF Design Award, the Objeto Brasil Award and the Red Dot Award. And in August the pickup truck won a new top-of-the- range version, the Ranch Diesel 2.0 Turbodiesel 4x4 AT9, with exclusive serial items like brown leather seats, 18-inch alloy wheels, rear-view mirrors, side steps, removable tow hook and chrome roll bars. Faced with the facts, the voters had no doubt in putting another AutoData Award trophy in their truck bed, repeating the achievement of 2016 and 2017, making the Fiat pickup truck a three-time champion. For Fernão Silveira, director of corporate communication and sustainability for Latin America, “AutoData is a reference for our industry and is not of today, with a team formed by some of the most respected and experienced journalists in the history of our automotive press. Receiving this recognition for Toro’s quality refers to its success and being elected by the professionals of the automotive sector shows that we are on the right track with an innovative product. Winning this award for three years in a row really is an achievement that brings us so much pride.” Rafael Cusato “Being elected by the professionals of the automotive industry shows that we are on the right track with an innovative product. Winning this award for three years in a row really is an achievement that brings us so much pride.” Fernão Silveira, director of corporate communication and sustainability for Latin America of FCA