FIAT has denied that production of the Croma is ceasing, but it is no longer actively marketing the model in the UK, less than two years after launch.

A spokesman for the carmaker said: ‘Croma is selling well in Italy and other markets and will continue to be made in right-hand drive.

‘However, we don’t feel in a position to give Croma the appropriate backing here in the UK, but we can continue to supply any UK customers that want it. It will still be on our price lists, but it won’t have the resources behind it that other models will have.’

Considered a gamble by pundits upon its launch in 2005, sales of the Croma have been poor, despite an overall improvement in fortunes for Fiat in the last year. Upon launch, Fiat said it hoped to sell 5,000 in the UK during 2006, half of which to fleets.

But although the build and drive were considered competitive, high whole-life costs meant it was never a serious contender. Last year it sold just 827 units.

The name was revived in 2005 after the original Croma was canned in 1996 after an 11 year run.

The Guigiaro-styled car was based on the GM platform that also formed the basis of the Vauxhall Vectra and Saab 9-3. It was a ‘crossover’ vehicle, falling somewhere between the categories of estate and MPV.