(Adds share price, additional comment)
By Gianni Montani
TURIN, May 20 (Reuters) - Italian automaker Fiat is expected to grab a steady share of 28-29 percent of a flat domestic market in May, a Fiat Auto executive said on Tuesday.
Italian auto sales for all carmakers were expected to total 180,000 in May, in line with expectations, said Gianni Coda, the head of the Fiat and Lancia brands.
In April, new car sales totalled 182,800, down 5.8 percent from the year-ago period, while Fiat's market share was 28.8 percent.
"We expect to see growth in orders with the launch of the new Punto which will happen June 7," he said on the on the sidelines of a presentation of its redesigned Punto small car model.
Coda said Fiat's sales elsewhere in Europe were mixed, with increases in some countries, like the United Kingdom, and declines in others.
Shares of loss-making Fiat weakened slightly after the forecast for its core market, but were still up 1.7 percent at 1100 GMT, outperforming the DJ Stoxx auto index , helped by optimism about its ties with partner General Motors .