NGV SALES SKYROCKET IN ITALY

While car sales in Italy declined 20 percent this year, deliveries of NGVs surged 90 percent to 114,226 vehicles through August. NGV sales accounted for 11.6 percent of the market, compared with 4.9 percent a year ago. Fiat has 90 percent of the NGV market in the country. An increase in gasoline and diesel prices, coupled with an economic downturn, is seen as largely responsible for the sharp increase in demand for NGVs.