Fiat Q1 Up

Fiat Thursday revealed a modest upswing in first quarter 1997 pre-tax profits, from L464 billion to L495 billion. The firms turnover rose by 4.4 per cent to L20,844 billion. The board said it would recommend an unchanged dividend of L100 per ordinary share and L130 per savings share with respect to 1996, making a total dividend payout of L522 billion.