Italian auto manufacturer Fiat SpA on Thursday launched a mid-sized sedan in Shanghai in order to tap into the world's largest auto market.

The Viaggio, launched by its joint venture with Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., is the first car produced by Fiat in China since 2007, when it ended a partnership with Nanjing Automobile Group Corp., said Zheng Xiancong, manager of joint venture GAC Fiat.

The Viaggio comes in six models, priced between 108,800 yuan (17,270 U.S. dollars) and 158,800 yuan.

Its debut comes at a time when growth of the country's auto sales has slowed because of a slowing domestic economy. During the first eight months of the year, China's total auto sales rose 4.1 percent year on year to 12.47 million units.