Fiat unveils new Viaggio model to be made and sold in China

A logo is seen on a car displayed on the Fiat booth during the first media day of the Geneva Auto Show at the Palexpo in Geneva, March 6, 2012.

MILAN (Reuters) - Italian automaker Fiat (FIA.MI) unveiled photos of its new five door Viaggio sedan on Friday, the first car that Fiat will produce in China with its local partner GAC.

The Viaggio will start production in July in the new GAC-Fiat factory in Changsha, and will go on sale in China in the third quarter of this year. It will be on display at the Beijing auto show on April 23.

The move is important for Fiat, which also controls U.S. auto maker Chrysler, because both companies have been latecomers to the booming Chinese car market. The Viaggio shares a platform with the Dodge Dart, a compact car being launched by Chrysler in the U.S., as well as with Fiat's Alfa Romeo brand's Giulietta.

(Reporting by Jennifer Clark)