My understanding is that Chrysler was purchased by Fiat. 1. Is the name of the company going to be Chrysler or Fiat or a combination of both names? 2. Are the new cars going to be made in the United States or Italy or in both countries? 3. Are the very small cars that Fiat has made in the past going to be available in the United States for purchase? Thank you for your response. abxxx
Chryco is being very hush-hush. There have been many rumors, but nothing official.
From what I’ve heard from a retired Chryco Plant Manager…Many of Chryco’s car line is being replaced with cars from Fiat. The min-vans and trucks are staying but may change as well.
I bet both names (along with Dodge and Jeep) will be used for different lines. Also, both make cars in various countries, I heard the US-bound Fiat 500 would be made in Mexico.
The Fiat Scudo could be a big success. In 2003 we were in Europe for a couple of weeks. We had the similar Peugeot minivan (previous generation). It was huge - seated 9 - with room for a lot of cargo. While Fiat was not successful before, they could be very good for Chrysler now.
Is the Fiat 500 a very small car? Thank you. abxxx
Yep:
It’s Beautiful!
They’re going to combine the names and call it FiasCo. Or probably ChrysCo.
Before everyone continues to dump on Fiat, I want to share some information that I learned from a recent issue of Business Week.
Did you know that Common Rail diesel technology was invented by Fiat? Until I read this article, I was not aware of this information.
It seems that, due to monetary issues, Fiat sold the rights to that technology, thus allowing Mercedes, BMW, Subaru, and some other manufacturers to claim the glory (and the sales revenue) for this great advance in diesel techology. If Fiat had not been saddled with monetary problems at the time, they could have used this exclusively, rather than selling the rights.
More recently, Fiat invented the new MultiAir technology that is claimed to “cut fuel consumption in gasoline engines by up to 25% while boosting power and reducing emissions by 10% or more”. This time around, due to the superior leadership of Sergio Marchionne (and due to a vastly improved fiscal condition) the technology will be exclusive to Fiat’s products, with the first launch on the Alfa Romeo MiTo, and later on the Fiat 500.
Also in the development pipeline are a more fuel-efficient automatic transmission, and “flex” engines. With various new technologies brought to the stagnant Chrysler line, Fiat’s ownership just might be able to do some incredible things in the US market.
Just remember–things change. 50 years ago, most Americans believed that all Japanese products were “tinny” pieces of junk. 20 years ago, few Americans thought that Hyundai could ever make a high quality vehicle. While it took some time for both perceptions to change, they did change as a result of new realities. To base opinions of Fiat today on what we may have witnessed many years ago is probably as invalid as the old perceptions of Japanese and Korean products turned out to be.
Things change.
An excellent post. And points well made.
While I joked about the new name, I realize that Fiat is using Chrysler as a pathway back into the U.S., and while I kidded about the Fiat 500 I’ve long believed that a truely inexpensive and basic vehicle is a huge market segment too long ignored. The profit margins in that segment may be small, but I think the volume potential is there. And if Fiat does begin importing these (or similar) I’ll be glad to see them join the market. I expected Cherry or Tata to be the first in, but maybe it will be Fiat.
Thank you MB.
From what I have gleaned from Business Week and other sources, the Fiat 500 and some other Fiat products will likely be manufactured here in the US, once a Chrysler plant or two have been retrofitted. Thus, hopefully more employment for US workers will result, rather than having these vehicles imported into the US.
Fiat has 31 models, Alfa Romeo 9 models, Lancia 4 models, Ferrari 7 models, Maserati 2 models, and there are several commercial vehicles, too. Fiat manufacturing facilities are on every continent except Australia and North America.
MB this is the same multiair technology that I told you about last month and your response was “I will wait and see”
Here’s what AP said Monday:
DETROIT ? Chrysler Group LLC, now being run by Italian automaker Fiat Group SpA, is planning to build the Fiat 500 minicar at a factory in Mexico, according to a person briefed on the company’s plans. The automaker also is considering building a compact car in the U.S. that could be larger than the 500, according to the person, who did not want to be identified because the plans have not been made public
Except North America? I used to work in a foundry in Tennessee that was owned and operated by a division of Fiat. The top management were all from Italy and we made cylinder heads for Ford, Chrysler and GM.
I don’t honestly know.
I tried googling Fiat MultiAit Technology and got sites that I wish had not come up. It seems that that word applies to products that most of us have never heard of. I’ll let your imagination fill in the blanks. You won’t be too far off.
The information was courtesy of Fiat. If they say they don’t have any plants in NA, why shouldn’t I believe them? You said “used to”. Is the plant still open?
Perhaps Fiats automotive division has no plants in the U.S.
Or perhaps that foundry is now closed. We’ve seen countless foundrys and casting houses close this past decade, especially since 2005. One local one now does their casting in China and only does their design work here.
I like the idea of having Fiat back, no matter where they’re made. All automotive manufacturers are global now anyway.