Benvenuti amici!
As the title of the entry suggests, this week I am writing about the global phenomena that is… now… FIAT CHRYSLER AUTOMOBILES (FCA).
FIAT CHRYSLER AUTOMIBLES US HQ
In todays auto market, a company without a desire/plan to grow beyond their homeland and region of the world will most surely fade away. A prime example of an automaker flourishing, as a direct result of having and perfectly executing a global business plan, is Ford Motor Company. Ford currently holds stock in Mazda (2.1%), Aston Martin (15%) and Jiangling (49%) as well as lucrative partnerships in a number of other markets. Ford, no doubt, made a mint when the global giant sold off Jaguar & Land Rover (in my opinion, the Ford years were the worst EVER for Jaguar & Land Rover design) and Volvo. Ford is no less a 'true blue' USAmerican business for having taken part in money-making with a world domination mindset.
Ford has been so successful with a global business plan of attack one could be inclined to believe Henry & Co. invented the craft, unless one considers companies like FIAT S.p.A.. Most fans of the FIAT brand, provided they are aware, readily accept and brag about the fact their automaker of choice is the oldest mass manufacturer of coaches in the world. There is a certain degree of indescribable pride that comes from knowing ones daily driver or show car is one in a long line of 4-wheelers built for the 'Average Joe'. But there is a contingency of fans & non-fans apparently unable to grasp the fact FIAT has always been a global brand.
Vintage Ad: FIAT Poughkeepsie NY
I can understand a Ford or Chevy guy blowing off the notion of an Italian company, best known for designing & building city cars, being the first or the best at anything. How could a focus on providing affordable to purchase, maintain & park coaches culminate in success (locally, regionally and/or globally), right? What I find utterly impossible to understand is a FIAT guy/gal resisting the fact 'their' brand not only attained local & regional success with this business plan, but has also been on the frontline of taking it global… from the very beginning.
Fact: FIAT S.p.A. opened their first factory on our side of the Pond in 1910.
Although the automaker was not successful doing so until after WWII, FIAT always aimed to design & build fine automobiles for the everyman & everywoman… everywhere. To give you an idea of just how off the mark they were in the early years, a Poughkeepsie built FIAT would run you $4.5k-$5.5k USD. The average USAmerican could purchase 5 or more Ford Model Ts for the same amount of money. FIATs were luxury vehicles… status symbols.
A look inside the Poughkeepsie Plant
Despite where they were assembled, a coach bearing the badge of the largest automaker in Italy was attractive to affluent USAmericans. They could slide behind the wheel of a slice of the Land of the Boot without a lengthy and potentially life threatening cruise across the Atlantic.
Truth be told, had it not been for the United States of America entering WWI, FIAT would not have closed that Poughkeepsie plant in 1917. FIATisti can get a flashback to this time in FIAT history by visiting the Marist College Campus.
Fact: FIAT S.p.A. has been building FIATs in Poland since 1920. A large percentage of EU FIATs are still built there.
Fact: FIAT S.p.A. helped establish SEAT in Spain… 1950.
Fact: FIAT S.p.A. eyed the Argentine market in 1954.
Fact: FIAT S.p.A. entered a business relationship with Serbia-based Zastava in 1955. Contemporary 500Ls are currently built there.
Fact: FIAT S.p.A. helped the USSR open AvtoVAZ Lada in 1966.
Fact: FIAT S.p.A. began production of the 147 in Brazil circa 1975.
Fact: FIAT S.p.A. also helped lead the way for automakers in Asia & Africa.
Should a FIAT, designed in Italy and assembled in Mexico come as any surprise to any self-proclaimed 'FIAT Nut'? I think not. Does a Mexican-assembled FIAT 500 (Pop, Sport, Lounge, T or ABARTH) look or feel any less Italian than one built in Poland or Italy? Apart from the DOT-regulated additional side markers & passenger side wiper… Nope. Is the soul FIAT magically gifts their runabouts missed, if FIAT decides to advertise their range with JLo, Charlie Sheen, Catrinal Menghia, Sean Combs, Godzilla, some techie's insane Memes or some animated forest friends? I know I cannot stop smiling when our Sombrita is in my line of vision… the ads are as a original as is the fleet.
Italian Style… From the Street Up
Is a FIATista any less crazed by Italian machines, because his/her first FIAT was assembled outside Italy and/or built after 1980? I know the absurd amount of time I devote to the brand is inspired by my 2012 Pop and 2013 ABARTH 500… and I am not alone in the 'New Wave' of FIATisti. We are growing in numbers everyday. Our clubs, blogs, forums and Facebook pages are spreading, like a virus, throughout the internet. We put as much or more time into promoting the brand and supporting its fan base as the most seasoned 'FIAT Freak'.
Still, I have read and heard longtime FIAT fans, like some teenage boy selling off his kick-ass record collection because his favorite indie band enters heavy rotation on mainstream radio, denying FIAT S.p.A. the headline the company has always desired and earned on the front page of every auto magazine…
Still, I have read and heard longtime FIAT fans, like some teenage boy selling off his kick-ass record collection because his favorite indie band enters heavy rotation on mainstream radio, denying FIAT S.p.A. the headline the company has always desired and earned on the front page of every auto magazine…
Tiny Terror Takes The World By Storm… Italian Style!
Why? Why would any person claiming to love Italian automobiles not want to see FIAT enter the modern era? Why would any aficionado of this wonderful family of runabouts not want to see the lifelong vision of the founder realized by his grandsons?
Three years into the first successful (for any foreign automaker) re-entry into the US market, FIAT S.p.A. is dominating newsflash rotation with only three, four if you count the limited 500e, models available in our market. THREE! Since the Italian legend rescued Chrysler LLC ~ the USAmerican icon, stock has risen and the Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/RAM (CDJR) range looks better than it has in at least 3 decades. But the celebration does not end there. Rather than reduce Chrysler to another page in their portfolio, FIAT S.p.A. changed their automotive corporate name to FIAT CHRYSLER AUTOMOBILES. Effectively, the Italians recognized the value of the international relationship as well as made a promise of continued & equal prosperity for Italian & American coaches around the world. What other automaker, with even remotely close to the pedigree of FIAT S.p.A., has made such a move? Is that not a reason for FIATisti to get fired up? That, faithful readers, is the Italian way.
Three years into the first successful (for any foreign automaker) re-entry into the US market, FIAT S.p.A. is dominating newsflash rotation with only three, four if you count the limited 500e, models available in our market. THREE! Since the Italian legend rescued Chrysler LLC ~ the USAmerican icon, stock has risen and the Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/RAM (CDJR) range looks better than it has in at least 3 decades. But the celebration does not end there. Rather than reduce Chrysler to another page in their portfolio, FIAT S.p.A. changed their automotive corporate name to FIAT CHRYSLER AUTOMOBILES. Effectively, the Italians recognized the value of the international relationship as well as made a promise of continued & equal prosperity for Italian & American coaches around the world. What other automaker, with even remotely close to the pedigree of FIAT S.p.A., has made such a move? Is that not a reason for FIATisti to get fired up? That, faithful readers, is the Italian way.
Make way for Italian Automotive Excellence
Fact: The Agnelli dream is finally our reality.
Vivere.Amare.Guidare.
Ciao!
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