If you were hoping to celebrate an early Christmas in Milan with Signore Marchionne next year, you’re out of luck: Fiat has declined an invitation to show at the 2014 Milano Auto Show in light of the weakened local market.
The Italian half of the Italo-American mashup stated that the shows in Paris, Frankfurt and Geneva are enough for all automakers to show off their latest and greatest to the masses and the press alike, and that current economic conditions may not be able to support another auto show, especially one in a market that took only 1.3 million cars out of the showroom in 2013 after a peak of 2.5 million units sold back in 2007.
In response, Chairman Alfredo Cazzola of Promotor, the production company responsible for organizing next year’s show, had this to say to the Italian daily La Repubblica:
Fiat’s business is to build cars, not to organize shows.
Cazzola also said that Fiat would change its mind once they’ve seen what his Promotor has in store for Milan. Previously, Promotor were responsible for the Bologna Auto Show until its reorganization as the Milano Auto Show, where 133 exhibitors displayed their wares in 2012. In contrast, this year’s show in Frankfort held 1,000 under their tent.
As for 2013, the 38th iteration of the Bologna Auto Show was cancelled due to a lack of exhibitors.
The biggest Italian carmaker snubs the biggest Italian auto show? Where’s Sergio’s Italian pride, or sensitivity to Italian pride, if he doesn’t have any? I suspect this is because 1. Fiat doesn’t have much money or 2. Sergio is already thinking of the merger with Chrysler to create an “Euro” American global company no longer identified as Italian.
Had you used the phrases “pure unmitigated bullsh*t” “not gonna happen dot com” “hand wringing” “giant bowl of not good” I would have sworn you were Peter DeLorenzo of Autoextremist.com fame.
But since you didn’t mention the salad days of GM and how great GM is, I knew you weren’t him.
No I am not, nor have I ever been Peter DeLorenzo,.(Phew! That was a close one!)
The pickup in the picture would make an awesome Dodge, or I guess now “Ram” Rampage. Too bad it is made in Brazil, not Mexico, so the Chicken tax applies.
I’m not familiar with all of FIAT’s models, but I like the converted wagon look of the pictured vehicle. I’m guessing it’s based on some sort of C or D segment body, which should promise creature comforts plus at least enough space in back to haul occasional white goods.
No, B segment. Sits on a stretched version’s of the original Palio platform. like the Palio SW. Viquitor explains it better below.
Thanks for the clarification. Sized for the tight streets of older cities; I like that.
I know it’s a small complaint but can we correctly write the word “FIAT” in all caps? I know we read it like a word but it’s properly an acronym and we should do same for similarly monickers like AUDI, SEAT etc.
Are you requesting we write FIAT correctly, or are you ordering TTAC via fiat?
It can be both!
I’ll make note of that on my ibm
FIAT is an acronym standing for “fix it again Tony”, but Audi is not an acronym. There were four Auto Union Companies, but Audi was just one of them. Audi is latin for listen, which in German is horch. Horch and Audi were both founded by Horch, and were both eventually Auto Union companies. I will leave you to look up the trademark backstory.
If you are going to be pedandic you should be accurate.
I stand corrected.
Fabbrica Italiana di Automotore Torino.
u so funny, never heard that one!
The official name of the headquarters company is Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A., according to Fiat’s website (www.fiat.it). Initial cap only.
It may have started out in life as an acronym, but (like so many others) it’s become a word by itself. Which is how Fiat uses it. Only the logo is all caps.
Fiat has become a word. Language is alive, things change. In this case, and in countless others, specially Southern European countries, the fashion at the time was to choose an acronym that was a word. More creative than just using the famil name. Had Fiat been an American (or French) company it’d just’ve been called Agnelli.
Same for ALFA BTW (Associazione Lombarda di Fabricazione di Automobili). Later, Nicola Romeo bought it and added his last name. If we had to do it your way, we’d have to write ALFA Romeo. I prefer Alfa Romeo and Fiat.
Silly to me is smart, MINI, up!, etc.
Hello? Signore Marchionne? This is GM calling… please return our Canyon and Colorado cock-eyed wheel wells.
Sure does emphasize and exaggerate the whole nose dive thing going on
When did the GM PUs start using that shape? Fiat’s been using for a long time on their “Adventure” line.
Yeah, OK so it’s a copy of the Subaru Brat, but could it serve to replacement my departed Ford Ranger?
Err… No. Actually the FIAT Strada replaced the old FIAT Pickup based on the Uno, which for its turn replaced the FIAT 147 Pickup, launched in Brazil in january 1978. Later that same year the Subaru Brat was launched.
Absolutely. They have three/quarter to one ton payloads. Ford, Chevy, VW and Nissan/Dacia make them also.
I would like to see Nissan bring its version, based on the same platform as the Versa, to the Versa plant in Mexico.
http://www.nissan.co.za/en/web/models/NP200/home/hpage.htm
Fiat stands for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino- Probably the coolest name in automotive history, from the country thats delivered the greatest cars in history. Marchionne is using this as an anti-union strategy, How many cars do they sell in switzerland? How many Fiats do they sell in france or germany. Italy is Fiats most important market, for development, and innovation. Hell Italy is probably VW’s most importatant market, if you count the impact of giugiaro (Italdesign) & Walter desilva (ex-Alfa who designs you pathetic AUDI’S) And your right Audi is Italian sounding Latin Version of horch. That will be the day anyone translates their corporate name into german, to gain sales. Peoples Wagon- Ha ha
As we say in PR, “We’re responding to our audience, we’ve heard their message loud and clear.”
That FIAT pick-up looks like it was overtaken by the B.O.R.G. Resistance is futile.
You should see the new model…
Is that an A178 based trucklet in the main pic? Or is it based on the all new Palio?
Marcelo: any clue?
That’s still a Project 178 derivative. Just last month the Project 326 had its commercial derivative launched, the New Fiorino – even though it carries the New Uno (aka Project 327) fascia, doors and dashboard, underneith the skin that’s a full-on 326.
Brazilian press says on the matter that FIAT is set to replace the 178-derived Strada – or at least its Adventure more expensive versions – with a bigger truck that could pass as a lighter and slightly smaller Dakota replacement for the US.
Maybe then we’ll see an open pickup version of the New Fiorino replacing the Strada’s lesser, Working versions.
Vpul, Viquitor is basically correct though my info is that they’re developing CUV thing (think EcoSport) on the new Palio’s bones. Could be out as early as next year. As to the future of the Strada and Palio SW, othing has been decided. One alternative is what you wrote, another would be a Strada developed from the CUV (it’d be bigger but not quite Dakota size). Alas, it seems the Palio SW will not be long for this world.
Vipul, the main difference between Strada and Palio SW and the Palio you got in India was that they sat on a stretched version of the Palio and had beefier suspension bits.
Thanks for the info Viquitor and Marcelo. FIAT needa to bring the project 326 cars India soon, especially the CUV. They are soldiering on with the Grande Punto and Linea – just doing a total of 1000 cars a month. I just cancelled the Ecosport booking a few days ago (having waited for 5 months). So the demand for a CUV is certainly there in India.
We also got the extended wheelbase Palio Weekend and Adventure in India for a few years, but there were very few takers for it. In fact, these vehicles are a maintenance nightmare here.
What is the parts aituation like for the first facelift of the A178 palio? My friend visited Brazil for a week and I asked him to get me a gear lever knob (leather) for my car. But none of the dealers carried the part. I ask because it is my great hope that eventually, once dealer support ceases in India, I would be able to keep my car alive by getting stuff from Brazil.
Hi Vipul, I guess your friend could not get a leather knob ’cause that was not an original opton in Brazil. Leather seats could be had, but usually it was done by a third party (independent shop) in or out of the dealership. The Palio has sold a lot, so mechanical parts should not be a problem for many years. Finishing parts may vary as there were more common and less common versions. But if you do chose o do it like that, I imagine it would not be impossible.
I want to lick that truck.
Gee is that the new Subaru Baja?