Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) was an Italian-American multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles, commercial vehicles, auto parts and production systems. The Italian holding company Exor was the largest ...

, and since 2021 a subsidiary of

Stellantis Stellantis N.V. is a multinational automotive manufacturing corporation formed in 2021 on the basis of a 50–50 cross-border merger between the Italian-American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group. The comp ...

through its Italian division

Stellantis Italy Stellantis Italy, formerly known as Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. from 2007 to 2014 and FCA Italy S.p.A. from 2014 to 2021, is the Italian subsidiary of the multinational automaker Stellantis, dedicated to the production and selling of passenger ...

. Fiat Automobiles was formed in January 2007 when

Fiat S.p.A. Fiat S.p.A., or ''Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino'' (Italian Automobile Factory of Turin), was an Italian holding company whose original and core activities were in the automotive industry, and that was succeeded by Fiat Chrysler Automobi ...

reorganized its automobile business, and traces its history back to 1899 when the first Fiat automobile, the

Fiat 4 HP The Fiat 4 HP (also known as the 3½ HP or 3½ CV) was the first model of car produced by FIAT, from 1899 to 1900 based on a third party design. Background The 4 HP is related to the Ceirano brothers—Giovanni, Ernesto and Matteo—who were an ...

, was produced. Fiat Automobiles is the largest automobile manufacturer in Italy. During its more than century-long history, it remained the largest automobile manufacturer in Europe and the third in the world after

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

and

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

for over 20 years, until the car industry crisis in the late 1980s. In 2013, Fiat S.p.A. was the second largest European automaker by volumes produced and the seventh in the world, while FCA was the world's eighth-largest automaker. In 1970, Fiat Automobiles employed more than 100,000 in Italy when its production reached the highest number, 1.4 million cars, in that country. As of 2002, it built more than 1 million vehicles at six plants in Italy and the country accounted for more than a third of the company's revenue. Fiat has also manufactured railway engines, military vehicles, farm tractors,

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...

, and weapons such as the

Fiat–Revelli Modello 1914 The Fiat–Revelli Modello 1914 was an Italian water-cooled medium machine gun produced from 1914 to 1918. It was the standard machine-gun of the Italian Army in World War I, and was used in limited numbers into World War II. Overview It was ve ...

. Fiat-brand cars are built in several locations around the world. Outside Italy, the largest country of production is Brazil, where the Fiat brand was for many years the market leader. The group also has factories in Argentina, Poland and Mexico (where Fiat-brand vehicles are manufactured at plants owned and operated by

Stellantis North America Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automotiv ...

for export to the United States, Brazil, Italy and other markets) and a long history of licensing manufacture of its products in other countries. Fiat Automobiles has received many international awards for its vehicles, including nine

European Car of the Year The European Car of the Year ("ECOTY") award is an international Car of the Year award established in 1964, by a collective of automobile magazines from different countries in Europe. The current organising companies of the award are ''Auto'' (Ita ...

awards, the most of any other manufacturer, and it ranked many times as the lowest level of emissions by vehicles sold in Europe.

History

On 11 July 1899,

Giovanni Agnelli Giovanni Agnelli (13 August 1866 – 16 December 1945) was an Italian businessman, who founded Fiat car manufacturing in 1899. Early life The son of Edoardo Agnelli and Aniceta Frisetti, he was born in 1866 in Villar Perosa, a small town near ...

was part of the group of founding members of FIAT, ''Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino''. The first Fiat plant opened in 1900 with 35 staff making 24 cars. Known from the beginning for the talent and creativity of its engineering staff, by 1903 Fiat made a small profit and produced 135 cars; this grew to 1,149 cars by 1906. The company then went public selling shares via the

Milan stock exchange Borsa Italiana, based in Milan, is the Italian stock exchange. It manages and organises domestic market, regulating procedures for admission and listing of companies and intermediaries and supervising disclosures for listed companies.italy24.ils ...

. Agnelli led the company until his death in 1945, while

Vittorio Valletta Vittorio Valletta (28 July 1883 in Sampierdarena – 10 August 1967 in Foccette di Pietrasanta) was an Italian industrialist and President of Fiat from 1946 to 1966. Born at Sampierdarena, near Genoa, Valletta was a lecturer in economics b ...

administered the firm's daily activities. Its first car, the 3 ½ CV (of which only 24 copies were built, all bodied by

Alessio Alessio is a mostly Italian male name, Italian form of Alexius. Individuals with the given name Alessio * Alessio Ascalesi (1872–1952), Italian cardinal *Alessio Boni (born 1966), Italian actor * Alessio Cerci (born 1987), Italian footballer ...

of Turin) was based on a design purchased from

Ceirano GB & C Ceirano GB & C was a historic automobile company, founded in October 1888 by Giovanni Battista Ceirano, Emanuele di Bricherasio, Attilio Calligaris, Pietro Fenoglio and Cesare Goria Gatti. The new company was based in Turin, where it began to b ...

and had a boxer twin engine.Georgano, p. 24 cap. In 1903, Fiat produced its first truck. In 1908, the first Fiat was exported to the US. That same year, the first Fiat aircraft engine was produced. Also around the same time, Fiat taxis became popular in Europe. Poster FIAT by Giovanni Carpanetto

By 1910, Fiat was the largest automotive company in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. That same year, a new plant was built in

Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...

, NY, by the newly founded American F.I.A.T. Automobile Company. Owning a Fiat at that time was a sign of distinction. The cost of a Fiat in the US was initially $4,000 and rose up to $6,400 in 1918, compared to $825 for a

Ford Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...

in 1908, and $525 in 1918, respectively. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Fiat had to devote all of its factories to supplying the Allies with aircraft, engines, machine guns, trucks, and ambulances. Upon the entry of the US into the war in 1917, the factory was shut down as US regulations became too burdensome (the site was eventually sold to

Western Publishing Western Publishing, also known as Western Printing and Lithographing Company, was a Racine, Wisconsin, firm responsible for publishing the Little Golden Books. Its Golden Books Family Entertainment division also produced children's books and ...

). After the war, Fiat introduced its first tractor, the 702. By the early 1920s, Fiat had a market share in Italy of 80%. In 1921, workers seized Fiat's plants and hoisted the red flag of communism over them. Agnelli responded by quitting the company. However, the

Italian Socialist Party The Italian Socialist Party (, PSI) was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy, whose history stretched for longer than a century, making it one of the longest-living parties of the country. Founded in Genoa in 1892, ...

and its ally organization, the

Italian General Confederation of Labour The Italian General Confederation of Labour (; CGIL) is a national trade union based in Italy. It was formed by agreement between socialists, communists, and Christian democrats in the "Pact of Rome" of June 1944. In 1950, socialists and Christi ...

, in an effort to effect a compromise with the centrist parties ordered the occupation ended. In 1922, Fiat began to build the famous

Lingotto Lingotto is the name of a district of Turin, Italy, as well as the name of the Lingotto building in Via Nizza. It once housed a car factory built by Italian automotive company Fiat and today houses the administrative headquarters of the manufact ...

car factory—then the largest in Europe—which opened in 1923. It was the first Fiat factory to use assembly lines; by 1925, Fiat controlled 87% of the Italian car market. In 1928, with the 509, Fiat included insurance in the purchase price. Fiat made military machinery and vehicles during World War II for the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

and ''

Regia Aeronautica The Italian Royal Air Force (''Regia Aeronautica Italiana'') was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was abolis ...

'' and later for the Germans. Fiat made fighter aircraft like the biplane CR.42 Falco, which was one of the most common Italian aircraft, along with

Savoia-Marchetti SIAI-Marchetti was an Italian aircraft manufacturer primarily active during the interwar period. History The original company was founded during 1915 as SIAI (''Società Idrovolanti Alta Italia'' - Seaplane Company of Upper Italy). As suggested ...

s, as well as light tanks (obsolete compared to their German and Soviet counterparts) and armored vehicles. The best Fiat aircraft was the G.55 fighter, which arrived too late and in too limited numbers. In 1943, the year

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

was overthrown, the

National Liberation Committee The National Liberation Committee ( it, Comitato di Liberazione Nazionale, CLN) was a political umbrella organization and the main representative of the Italian resistance movement fighting against Nazi Germany’s forces during the German occup ...

removed the

Agnelli Agnelli () is an Italian surname literally meaning "lambs". Notable people with the surname include: *Members of the Agnelli family, the industrial and business family of northern Italy, including: **Edoardo Agnelli (1831–1871), Italian entreprene ...

family from leadership roles in Fiat because of its ties to

Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

's government. They were not returned until 1963, when Giovanni's grandson,

Gianni Gianni is an Italian name (occasionally a surname), a short form of the Italian Giovanni and a cognate of John meaning God is gracious. Gianni is the most common diminutive of Giovanni in Italian. People with this given name * Gianni Agnelli (i ...

, took over as general manager until 1966, as chairman until 1996. In 1970, Fiat employed more than 100,000 in Italy when its production reached the highest number, 1.4 million cars, in that country. As of 2002, Fiat built more than 1 million vehicles at six plants in Italy and the country accounted for more than a third of the company's revenue. Towards the end of 1976, it was announced that the Libyan government was to take a shareholding in the company in return for a capital injection. Other aspects of the Libyan agreement included the construction of a truck and bus plant at

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

. Chairman Agnelli candidly described the deal as "a classic petro-money recycling operation which will strengthen the Italian reserves, provide Fiat with fresh capital and give the group greater tranquility in which to carry out its investment programmes". On 29 January 2014, it was announced that Fiat S.p.A. (the former owner of Fiat Group) was to be merged into a new Netherlands-based holding company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCA), took place before the end of 2014.

became the new owner of Fiat Group. On 1 August 2014, Fiat S.p.A. received necessary shareholder approval to proceed with the merger, which became effective 12 October 2014. FCA then merged with the French manufacturer

PSA Group The PSA Group (), legally known as Peugeot S.A. (Peugeot Société Anonyme, trading as Groupe PSA; formerly known as PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles ...

in 2019, with the new conglomerate being named

in 2020.

Presence

Europe

Fiat's main market is Europe, mainly focused in Italy. Historically successful in building city cars and Superminis, currently Fiat has a range of models focused on those two segments (accounting for the 84% of its sales in 2011). Fiat does not currently offer any large family car, nor an executive car: these market segments are to some extent covered by the

Lancia Lancia () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of FCA Italy S.p.A., which is currently a Stellantis division. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganised its businesses, but it ...

and

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." ...

brands, which Fiat also owns. Fiat's share of the European market shrank from 9.4 percent in 2000 to 5.8 percent in the summer of 2004. At this point

Sergio Marchionne Sergio Marchionne (; 17 June 1952 – 25 July 2018) was an Italian-Canadian businessman, widely known for his turnarounds of the automakers Fiat and Chrysler, his business acumen and his outspoken and often frank approach, especially when dealing ...

was appointed as Fiat's chief executive. By March 2009 their market share had expanded to 9.1 percent. Fiat built their five-storey

plant between 1915 and 1918, at which time it was Europe's largest car manufacturing plant. Later the Mirafiori plant was built, also in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

. To prepare for production of the all-new

Fiat 128 The Fiat 128 is a transverse front-engine, front wheel drive small family car manufactured and marketed by Fiat from 1969 to 1985 as a two- or four-door sedan, three- or five-door station wagon as well as two- or three-door coupé. The 128 runni ...

, Fiat opened their Rivalta plant in October 1968. Until the 128 entered production, the plant was used to build sports versions of the

850 ''For codepage, see CP850.'' __NOTOC__ Year 850 (Roman numerals, DCCCL) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * February 1 – King Ramiro I of A ...

and 124 as well as parts for the

Fiat Dino The Fiat Dino (Type 135) was a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car produced by Fiat from 1966 to 1973. The Dino name refers to the Ferrari Dino V6 engine, produced by Fiat and installed in the cars to achieve the production numbers sufficient ...

2015 Fiat Panda Cross TwinAir 900cc Front

Fiat's 2018 range of passenger car engines comprised eleven units, eight petrols and three diesels. Their current range of models is the following: *

City car The A-segment is the 1st category in the passenger car classification system defined by the European Commission. It is used for city cars, the smallest category of passenger cars defined. A-segment sales represent approx. 7-8% of the market in ...

Fiat 500 The Fiat 500 ( it, Cinquecento, ) is a rear-engined, four-seat, small city car that was manufactured and marketed by Fiat Automobiles from 1957 until 1975 over a single generation in two-door saloon and two-door station wagon bodystyles. Launch ...

Fiat Panda The Fiat Panda is a city car manufactured and marketed by Fiat since 1980, currently in its third generation. The first generation Panda (Mk 1: 1980–1986 & Mk2: 1986–2003), introduced in 1980, was a two-box, three-door hatchback designed b ...

Compact car Compact car is a vehicle size class — predominantly used in North America — that sits between subcompact cars and mid-size cars. "Small family car" is a British term and a part of the C-segment in the European car classification. However, p ...

Fiat Tipo The Fiat Tipo (Type 160) is a compact car, designed by the I.DE.A Institute design house, and produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat between 1988 and 1995. The Tipo was initially available only as a five-door hatchback. The car was made entir ...

Mini MPV Mini MPV— an abbreviation for mini multi-purpose vehicle— is a vehicle size class for the smallest size of minivans/MPVs. The mini MPV size class sits below the compact MPV size class and the vehicles are often built on the platforms of B-se ...

Fiat 500L The Fiat 500L is a car manufactured by Fiat under the FCA Serbia joint venture and marketed globally since its debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. It is classified as a Mini MPV. Based on a variant of the GM Fiat Small platform, ''FCA Sma ...

Mini SUV A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...

Fiat 500X The Fiat 500X (Type 334) is a subcompact crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), since its debut at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. Following the 500L, and produced from 2014 (from 2016 model year ...

* Roadster:

Fiat 124 Spider The Fiat 124 Sport Spider is a convertible sports car marketed by Fiat for model years 1966–1985. Designed by and manufactured at the Italian '' carrozzeria'' Pininfarina factory, the monocoque, front-engine, rear drive ''Sport Spider'' deb ...

Fiat sales in 2011 were up to 676,704 (less 17.3% versus the previous year): Light commercial vehicles are sold in Europe under the brand

Fiat Professional Fiat Professional is the brand name and subsidiary of Stellantis which manufactures Commercial vehicle, light commercial vehicles and their passenger variants. It was launched on 17 April 2007 and replaced the Fiat Veicoli Commerciali division. Fi ...

. Fiat was already exporting cars to the UK market by the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in 1939. Its market share increased rapidly during the 1970s, with the 127 supermini and

128 128 may refer to *128 (number), a natural number *AD 128, a year in the 2nd century AD *128 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *128 (New Jersey bus) See also * List of highways numbered A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may al ...

range of small family cars being the biggest sellers, selling largely on practicality and efficiency. Fiat's market share increased further during the 1980s with the

Fiat Uno The Fiat Uno is a supermini manufactured and marketed by Fiat. Launched in 1983, the Uno was produced over a single generation (with an intermediate facelift, 1989) in three and five-door hatchback body styles until 1995 in Europe — and un ...

(imported to the UK from June 1983) being the company's best-seller in the UK, and its share fell sharply in the early 1990s before the arrival of the Punto in March 1994 rejuvenated the company's UK fortunes. The second-generation Punto was a strong seller in the UK after its October 1999 launch, but the new modern-day

(launched there in January 2008) has accounted for most of the company's UK sales in more recent years. The original Fiat 500 had been one of the few direct competitors for the iconic

Mini The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...

during its 1960s heyday.

South America

Fiat has invested for a long time in South America, mainly in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

(where has been the market leader for many years) and in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. They built their first Brazilian car plant in the

Greater Belo Horizonte Greater Belo Horizonte, Brazil, is the name usually used to describe the Belo Horizonte metropolitan region, which is composed of 34 municipalities. As of 2013, it is the third largest metropolitan area of Brazil with more than Six million inhab ...

city of Betim in 1973, after having begun by building tractors there. The Brazilian range is similar to the European one, with the addition of a special family which derives from a common platform (called "Project 178"):

Palio Palio is the name given in Italy to an annual athletic contest, very often of a historical character, pitting the neighbourhoods of a town or the hamlets of a ''comune'' against each other. Typically, they are fought in costume and commemorate som ...

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...

, Palio Weekend and

Strada Strada is a chain based in the United Kingdom of branded restaurants specialising in Italian cuisine with two Strada sites and six Coppa Clubs, all in Southern England. History The concept was spawned by Luke Johnson in 2000 and, over five ...

. Recently a range of new models developed in

has been launched:

Pulse In medicine, a pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the cardiac cycle (heartbeat) by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surface of the body, such as at the nec ...

, Fiorino, Toro,

Argo In Greek mythology the ''Argo'' (; in Greek: ) was a ship built with the help of the gods that Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The ship has gone on to be used as a motif in a variety of sour ...

, and

Mobi Mobi or MOBI may refer to: Companies * Mobi (company), an American wireless provider Computing * .mobi, internet top domain name * .mobi, a file extension of the deprecated Mobipocket e-book format People * Mobi Fehr (born 1994), American socce ...

. Other European models are currently imported to Brazil: 500e, imported from

, and Cronos, imported from

. Fiat sells in

under the Fiat brand, European

light commercial vehicles as: *

(developed in Brazil, has the same platform as the

from "Project 178") * Ducato Models that have already been sold in Brazil: * Uno *

Linea ''Linea'' is a genus of foraminifera belonging to the subfamily Rhabdammininae. It is a monotypic genus containing the sole species ''Linea simplex''. Morphology ''Linea simplex'' has an overall string-like appearance, with a thin unbranching ...

* Tipo * Tempra * Prêmio *

Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National ...

Idea In common usage and in philosophy, ideas are the results of thought. Also in philosophy, ideas can also be mental representational images of some object. Many philosophers have considered ideas to be a fundamental ontological category of being ...

* Punto *

Marea MAREA is a 6,600 km (4,000 mile) long transatlantic communications cable connecting the United States with Spain. Owned and funded by Microsoft and Meta Platforms, but constructed and operated by Telxius, a subsidiary of the Spanish telecom c ...

Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels *Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 *Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing company ...

147 147 may refer to: * 147 (number), a natural number * AD 147, a year of the Julian calendar, in the second century * 147 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * 147 AH, a year in the Islamic calendar that corresponds to 764 – 765 CE ...

(and its family: the saloon Oggi and the

station-wagon A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...

Panorama) * Doblò

North America

Fiat has a long history in the United States. In 1908, the Fiat Automobile Co. was established in the country and a plant in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., began producing Fiats a year later, like the

Fiat 60 HP The Fiat 60 HP is an automobile produced by Italian manufacturer Fiat from 1904 to 1906. It competed in races such as the Paris–Madrid race of 1903, (driven by Vincenzo Lancia and Luigi Storero) and the Circuit des Ardennes, along with other rac ...

and the

Fiat 16-20 HP The Fiat 16-20 HP was introduced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat in 1903. The car was built in several versions: * 1st series in 1903, wheelbase of and a 4-cylinder 4179 cc engine - 20 PS - produced 100 copies, * 2nd series in 1904, becam ...

. These luxury cars were produced long before Chrysler Corp. was formed in 1925 from older manufacturers that were acquired by

Walter P. Chrysler Walter Percy Chrysler (April 2, 1875 – August 18, 1940) was an American industrial pioneer in the automotive industry, American automotive industry executive and the founder and namesake of American Chrysler Corporation. Early life Chrysler ...

, the founder. The New Jersey factory was closed after the U.S. entered

in 1917. Fiat returned to North America in the 1950s, selling the original 500,

Fiat 600 Multipla The Fiat 600 ( it, Seicento, ) is a rear-engine, water-cooled city car, manufactured and marketed by Fiat from 1955 to 1969 — offered in two-door fastback sedan and four-door Multipla mini MPV body styles. Measuring only long, its all-new ...

Fiat 1100 The Fiat 1100 is a small family car produced from 1953 until 1969 by the Italian manufacturer Fiat. It was an all-new unibody replacement for the Fiat 1100 E, which descended from the pre-war, body-on-frame Fiat 508 C Balilla 1100. The 1100 was ...

Fiat 1200 Fiat 1200 was the name of three distinct models produced by Italian car manufacturer Fiat, all based on Fiat 1100 mechanicals. The first two were introduced in 1957, and replaced the TV (Turismo Veloce) variants at the top of the Fiat 1100 range: t ...

, and the

Fiat 1300 The Fiat 1300 and Fiat 1500 are a series of front-engine, rear-drive automobiles manufactured and marketed by Fiat from 1961 to 1967, replacing the Fiat 1400 and Fiat 1200 coupé, spyder and cabriolet. The 1300 and 1500 were essentially identica ...

. Models produced from the 1960s onward include the

Fiat 124 Sport Spider The Fiat 124 Sport Spider is a convertible sports car marketed by Fiat for model years 1966–1985. Designed by and manufactured at the Italian ''carrozzeria'' Pininfarina factory, the monocoque, front-engine, rear drive ''Sport Spider'' debu ...

and the

Fiat X1/9 The Fiat X1/9 is a two-seater mid-engined sports car designed by Bertone and manufactured by Fiat from 1972–1982 and subsequently by Gruppo Bertone from 1982–1989. With a transverse engine and gearbox in a mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive conf ...

- these two sporting cars remained rather successful in the United States market, which took nearly sixty percent of the total production in 1980. Fiat gained a reputation for selling poor quality cars in North America, mostly over rust and poor reliability. The last new Fiat model to be introduced in North America during this era was the

, in February 1979. Flammang, p. 241 Sales in the US fell accordingly, from a high of 100,511 cars in 1975 to 14,113 in 1982. Accordingly, Fiat left the United States car market in 1983, although the Spider and the X1/9 continued to be sold in small numbers with Pininfarina and Bertone badging respectively. Flammang, p. 226 In January 2009, the

Fiat Group Stellantis Italy, formerly known as Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. from 2007 to 2014 and FCA Italy S.p.A. from 2014 to 2021, is the Italian subsidiary of the multinational automaker Stellantis, dedicated to the production and selling of passenger ...

acquired a 20% stake in US automaker Chrysler LLC. The deal saw the return of the Fiat brand to North America after a 25-year absence. The first Fiat-branded model to appear was the internationally popular

city car. The Fiat 500 model is built at Chrysler's assembly plant in Toluca, Mexico, which currently makes also the

Dodge Journey The Dodge Journey is a mid-size crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Dodge brand for model years 2009 to 2020 over a single generation, with a facelift for the 2011 model year. The Journey was styled by Ryan Nag ...

and

Fiat Freemont Fremont may refer to: Places In the United States: * Fremont, California - largest city with the name ** Fremont station ** Fremont station (BART) **Fremont Central Park * Fremont, Yolo County, California * Fremont, Illinois * Fremont Center, Il ...

crossovers. Fiat is also selling their commercial vehicles

Fiat Ducato The Fiat Ducato is a light commercial vehicle jointly developed by FCA Italy and PSA Group (currently Stellantis), and mainly manufactured by Sevel, a joint venture between the two companies since 1981. It has also been sold as the Citroën C25, ...

and

Fiat Doblò The Fiat Doblò is a panel van and leisure activity vehicle produced by Italian automaker Fiat since 2000. It was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October 2000. A second-generation Doblò succeeded the original vehicle in 2010 for most markets ...

in North America, rebranded as Ram ProMaster and Ram ProMaster City respectively. FIAT discontinued production of the Fiat 500 in 2019 while sales of leftover dealer stock continued into 2020. FIAT also discontinued the 124 spider and 500l models in 2020. FIAT has announced a new car to be released a new 500e to launch in 2024.

Africa

Fiat passenger cars began assembly in South Africa in 1950, and full production in their Rosslyn plant commenced in 1966. Sales reached a peak market share of about five percent around 1970 but then dropped precipitously. A new

-based half-ton pickup truck helped turn the situation around. It also assembled in Egypt through El-Nasr Automotive Manufacturing Company which assembled FIAT brands 125-127-128. On 13 October 2022, Fiat Brand and the Algerian government signed a framework agreement aimed at local production of vehicles and the development of the automotive sector in Algeria.

Asia

Fiat's presence in the Chinese market is limited compared to its European, Japanese, Korean, and American rivals. At the beginning of 2012, Fiat was only importing

Fiat Bravo The Fiat Bravo and Fiat Brava (Type 182) are small family cars produced by the Italian automaker Fiat from 1995 to 2003 (2001 in Europe). They were effectively two versions of the same car: the Bravo, a three-door hatchback, and the Brava, a fi ...

and

model. However, in 2012 Fiat and

GAC GAC or Gac may refer to: Companies and organisations * GAC Group, a Chinese automotive company based in Guangzhou, Guangdong * GAC Ireland, an Irish bus manufacturer established with Bombardier (1980–1986) * Games Administration Committee, a ...

opened a joint venture plant to produce the first Fiat vehicle specifically developed for the Chinese market ever: the

Fiat Viaggio The Dodge Dart is a front-engine, front-wheel drive, four-door compact sedan that was manufactured and marketed by then FCA US LLC, a subsidiary of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The automobile made its debut at the 2012 North American Internatio ...

, a compact car derived from another Fiat model, the

Dodge Dart Dodge Dart is a line of automobiles marketed by Dodge from the 1959 to 1976 model years in North America, with production extended to later years in various other markets. The Dart name originally appeared on a 1956 Chrysler show car featuring ...

(in turn derived from another Fiat car, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta). Fiat currently offers to Japanese consumers the 500 in both coupe and convertible body styles, and the Panda. Fiat has been present in the Indian market since 1948 in a joint venture with

Tata Motors Tata Motors Limited is an Indian multinational automotive manufacturing company, headquartered in Mumbai, India, which is part of the Tata Group. The company produces passenger cars, trucks, vans, coaches, buses. Formerly known as Tata En ...

, although current car sales are limited and directed at niche markets (approx. 20k units in 2011). The currently offered models are the

Fiat Punto The Fiat Punto is a supermini car (B-segment) produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat from 1993 to 2018, spanning over three generations. The third generation of the car was marketed between 2005 and 2009 as the Grande Punto, and between 2009 ...

and the

Fiat Linea The Fiat Linea (Type 323) is a compact sedan released on 26 March 2007 at the Tofaş plant in Bursa, Turkey, by the Italian automaker Fiat as a world car in developing countries. It is based on the current Fiat Grande Punto platform. The Linea ...

Current production

'' Main Article: List of Fiat Passenger Cars''

EMEA

A-segment The A-segment is the 1st category in the passenger car classification system defined by the European Commission. It is used for city cars, the smallest category of passenger cars defined. A-segment sales represent approx. 7-8% of the market in ...

The Fiat 500 ( it, cinquecento, ) is a car produced by the Fiat company of Italy between 1957 and 1975, with limited production of the Fiat 500 K estate continuing until 1977. The car was designed by

Dante Giacosa Dante Giacosa (3 January 1905 - 31 March 1996) was an Italian automobile designer and engineer responsible for a range of Italian automobile designs — and for refining the front-wheel drive layout to an industry-standard configuration. Front ...

. Redesigned in 2007, it is currently distributed worldwide. *

Fiat New 500 The Fiat New 500 (''project 332'') is a battery-electric city car by Italian manufacturer Fiat. It was unveiled on March 4, 2020, in Milan, Italy; it was scheduled to be launched at the Geneva Motor Show, but that event was canceled. The New 500 ...

All electric New 500, introduced in 2020 *

The Fiat Panda is a city car from the Italian automotive manufacturer Fiat. The current version is the third one distributed as from 2012. * C-segment -

* B-segment -

M-segment M-segment is the Euro Car Segment, European segments for passenger cars described as "multi purpose vehicles". It covers multi-purpose vehicles, minivans and cargo vans. The minivans (also called MPVs or passenger vans) often have removable rear ...

The Fiat 500L enlarges, as from September 2012, the Fiat 500 family with a

which replace the

Fiat Idea The Fiat Idea is a car manufactured and marketed by Fiat from 2003 to 2012 over a single generation with one intermediate facelift. It has a five-door, five passenger, front-engine, front-wheel drive, high-roof mini MPV design. Internally design ...

. The model is produced in the new Fiat plant in Serbia. The platform is the same of the

. File:Fiat Panda 1.2 8V Lounge (III) – Frontansicht (1), 25. Februar 2012, Düsseldorf.jpg,

File:" 15 - ITALY -Fiat 500 restyling in Sempione Park (Sforzesco Castle) in Milan - world premier 2015 Hatchbacks purple lounge and white sport 02.jpg,

File:Fiat-500-vorne2.jpg, Fiat 500 Electric File:2012 Geneva Motor Show - Fiat 500L.jpg,

File:2018 Fiat 500X Cross 1.6 Multijet II.jpg,

File:Fiat Tipo Steet Genf 2019 1Y7A5990.jpg,

File:2018 Fiat Qubo Trekking 1.3 Multijet.jpg,

Fiat Fiorino/Qubo The Fiat Fiorino is a small commercial vehicle produced by the Italian car manufacturer Fiat since 1977. Its first two generations have been the panel van derivatives of other small models, such as the Fiat 127 and Fiat Uno, while the current thi ...

File:2017 Fiat Doblò Trekking 1.6 Multijet.jpg,

LATAM

Fiat Mobi The Fiat Mobi is a city car produced by the Italian car manufacturer Fiat since 2016; is available exclusively for the South American market. The Mobi hatchback in the A-segment manufactured in Betim, Minas Gerais, Brazil. It was released on 13 Ap ...

Fiat Argo The Fiat Argo (Type 358, codeproject X6H) is a subcompact car (B-segment) by the Italian manufacturer Fiat, developed for the market in South America. It was presented in Brazil in May 2017, being sold as of June. It is a five-door hatchback t ...

Fiat Strada The Fiat Strada is a supermini coupé utility produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat since 1998. It is based on Fiat's world car "project 178", the Palio. It is produced by Fiat Automóveis in Brazil, and has been marketed worldwide, excluding ...

Fiat Cronos The Fiat Cronos (Type 358S) is a subcompact car released in February 2018 by the Italian automaker Fiat. It is a sedan for the Latin American market based on the Argo hatchback. Overview Unveiled in February 2018, the Cronos was developed as ...

Fiat Toro The Fiat Toro is a pickup truck made by Fiat in Brazil. It is derived from the Fiat FCC4 Concept and is based on the Small Wide 4×4 architecture shared with the Jeep Renegade, Jeep Compass, and the Fiat 500X. In several markets in Latin America ...

Fiat Pulse The Fiat Pulse is a subcompact crossover SUV produced by Fiat mainly for the South American market since 2021. It is also available as a performance model known as the Abarth Pulse and a coupe SUV derivative marketed as the Fiat Fastback since 20 ...

Fiat Fiorino The Fiat Fiorino is a small commercial vehicle produced by the Italian car manufacturer Fiat since 1977. Its first two generations have been the panel van derivatives of other small models, such as the Fiat 127 and Fiat Uno, while the current thi ...

File:Fiat Mobi Way 1.0 Fire.jpg,

File:FIAT Argo.jpg,

File:Fiat Cronos 1.8 16V E.Torq Precision.jpg,

File:Fiat Toro 2018 in Punta del Este (front) 01.jpg,

File:2018 Fiat Fiorino 16V SX Multijet 1.2 Front.jpg,

European Cars of the Year

The

award has been awarded twelve times to the

over the last forty years, more than any other manufacturer. Nine of these awards were won by Fiat Automobiles models. Fiat models awarded the title: * 1967:

Fiat 124 The Fiat 124 is a small family car manufactured and marketed by Italian company Fiat between 1966 and 1974. The saloon superseded the Fiat 1300 and was the basis for several variants including a station wagon, a four-seater coupé ( 124 Sport Cou ...

* 1970:

* 1972:

Fiat 127 The Fiat 127 is a supermini car produced by Italian car manufacturer FIAT from 1971 to 1983. It was introduced in 1971 as the replacement for the Fiat 850. Production of the 127 in Italy ended in 1983 following the introduction of its replacement, ...

* 1984:

* 1989:

* 1995:

* 1996:

Fiat Bravo/Brava The Fiat Bravo and Fiat Brava (Type 182) are small family cars produced by the Italian automaker Fiat from 1995 to 2003 (2001 in Europe). They were effectively two versions of the same car: the Bravo, a three-door hatchback, and the Brava, a fi ...

* 2004:

* 2008:

emissions

Fiat Automobiles, one of Europe's 10 best-selling automotive brands, has for the second year running been confirmed as having the lowest average value for CO₂ emissions from vehicles sold in 2008: 133.7 g/km (137.3 g/km in 2007). This was corroborated by

JATO JATO (acronym for jet-assisted take-off) is a type of assisted take-off for helping overloaded aircraft into the air by providing additional thrust in the form of small rockets. The term ''JATO'' is used interchangeably with the (more specific ...

, a provider of automotive data.

Electric vehicles

Fiat started development of electric vehicles back in the mid 1970s, with the concept Fiat X1/23. More recently in 2008, Fiat showed the Phylla concept, and the Fiat Bugster concept in Brazil. Fiat joined utility companies

Cemig CEMIG is a Brazilian power company headquartered in Belo Horizonte capital of the state of Minas Gerais. The company is one of main electricity concessionaires in Brazil, headquartered in the city of Belo Horizonte, capital of the state of Minas G ...

and Itaipu to develop new electric vehicles for Brazil, with production in 2009 of the Palio Weekend Electric. Fiat launched the electric 500e, a compliance car, in California in 2013, but no sales were planned for Europe. Fiat CEO

claimed in 2014 that each one was sold at a loss of $14,000. In 2016, after Tesla had announced the

Model 3 The Tesla Model 3 is a Compact executive car, compact executive Sedan (car), sedan that is Battery electric vehicle, battery powered and produced by Tesla, Inc., Tesla. Limited production of the Model 3 began in mid-2017, with the first produ ...

and had a high number of reservations for the electric car, Marchionne questioned whether Tesla could produce the cars and be profitable. He then stated that "if Tesla CEO Elon Musk can demonstrate that the car will be profitable at that price, I will copy the formula, add the Italian design flair, and get it to the market within 12 months."

Concept vehicles

* 1952 Fiat Abarth 1500 Biposto (Abarth, Bertone) * 1954

Fiat Turbina The Fiat Turbina was a gas turbine-powered concept car built by Italian car manufacturer Fiat in 1954. Fiat was the second car manufacturer, after Rover, to introduce a car propelled by a gas turbine—Fiat touted the Turbina as "the first turbi ...

* 1956 Fiat 600 Multipla Eden Roc * 1957 Fiat 1200 Stanguellini Spider * 1961 Fiat 600 Model Y Berlinetta * 1964 Fiat 2300 S Coupe Speciale * 1967 Fiat 125 Executive Concept * 1967 Fiat 125 GTZ * 1967 Fiat Dino Parigi * 1968 Fiat Abarth 2000 * 1969 Fiat 128 Coupe * 1969 Fiat 128 Teenager * 1972 Fiat 128 Pulsar Michelotti * 1972 Fiat ESV 1500 * 1972 Fiat X1/23 * 1974 Fiat 127 Village * 1975 Fiat Abarth 131 * 1976 Fiat 126 Cavaletta * 1980 Fiat Panda 4×4 Strip (153) * 1992 Fiat Grigua (170) * 1992 Fiat Cinquecento Cita (170) * 1993

Fiat Downtown The Fiat Downtown is a concept car originally shown in 1993 at the Turin Motor Show by the Italian car company Fiat. It was designed by Roberto Giolito. From 1991 to 1993, 2 examples were made in total, first by Stola and second by Fiat from read ...

* 1993 Fiat Lucciola Concept (170) * 1993 Fiat ZIC * 1994 Fiat Punto Racer (176) * 1994 Fiat Firepoint * 1996 Fiat Bravo Enduro Concept (182) * 1996 Fiat Formula 4 * 1996 Fiat Vuscia Concept * 1996 Fiat Barchetta Coupe Concept by Maggiora * 2004

Fiat Trepiùno The Fiat Trepiùno is a transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive, four-passenger concept city car introduced by Fiat at the 2004 Geneva Salon international de l'auto; styled at the Centro Stile Fiat; powered by a 54 hp 1100cc engine and ...

* 2005 Fiat Oltre * 2006 Fiat FCC * 2006 Fiat Suagna Bertone * 2007 Fiat Barchetta Bertone * 2008

Fiat Phylla The Fiat Phylla concept car was unveiled in 2008 by the Italian car manufacture Fiat. Originally expected to form the basis of a production car in 2010, it remains a concept city car. The Phylla name means "leaves" in ancient Greek. Specification ...

* 2010 Fiat FCC 3 Mio * 2012 Fiat FCC 2 * 2014 Fiat FCC 4

Motorsport

In 1971, the

was prepared for the

World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is the highest level of global competition in the motorsport discipline of rallying, owned and governed by the FIA. There are separate championships for drivers, co-drivers, manufacturers and t ...

when Abarth became involved with its production and development and from 1972 had relative success with two wins in 1972, one in 1973 and won 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the 1974 Portuguese TAP Rally. The

Fiat 131 Abarth Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiar ...

was a very successful

rally car Rally is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (often called ''rally racing),'' navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed time or average speed. ...

replacing the 124. Between 1976 and 1981 the Fiat 131 won 18 World Rally Championship events, resulting in winning the WRC Drivers Championship two times: in

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

, and in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

, and winning the WRC Constructors Championship three times: in

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

, and in

took over the role of motorsport for the Fiat Group during the 1980s. After a long break of factory-supported entries, in 2003 a

S1600 won the Italian Rally Championship, and 2006 the

Fiat Grande Punto The Fiat Punto is a supermini car (B-segment) produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat from 1993 to 2018, spanning over three generations. The third generation of the car was marketed between 2005 and 2009 as the Grande Punto, and between 2009 ...

S2000 won the FIA

European Rally Championship The European Rally Championship (officially FIA European Rally Championship) is an rallying, automobile rally competition held annually on the European continent and organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The champions ...

, followed by three successive wins in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Marketing

Logo

The FIAT initials were first used in the distinctive

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wordma ...

form in 1901. Beginning in 1931, the company began using a single red shield without a wreath. In 1968 the "rhomboid" logo (as it was known internally) was introduced which featured the FIAT initials spelled out on four interconnected

rhombus In plane Euclidean geometry, a rhombus (plural rhombi or rhombuses) is a quadrilateral whose four sides all have the same length. Another name is equilateral quadrilateral, since equilateral means that all of its sides are equal in length. The ...

es. The rhomboid was slowly phased in during the early 1970s, although the older "laurel wreath" style FIAT badge was used to denote sporting models such as the 124 Spider, 127 Sport, X1/9, and the tuned Abarth models. A new corporate nose based on the rhomboid logo was first introduced in 1983 on the Uno, which consisted of five chrome bars inclined at an angle of 18 degrees to mirror the rhomboid, which usually appeared in reduced size at the corner of the grille. In 1999, the wreath style logo was reintroduced to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the company. Fiat logo 1899.png, 1899 Fiat logo 1901.png, 1901 Fiat logo 1904.png, 1904 FiatLogo1921.jpg, 1921 Fiat old logo on 514 model.png, 1925 FiatLogo1931rounded.jpg, 1931 Fiat logo 1932.png, 1932 FiatLogo1938.jpg, 1938 FiatLogo1959.JPG, 1959 FiatLogo1965.jpg, 1965 Fiat logo 1968.svg, 1968–1999 FiatLogo1999.jpg, 1999–2007 Fiat auto logo.png, 2007–2022 FIAT logo (2020).svg, 2020–present ; Notes

Motor Village and flagship stores

Fiat launched its Motor Village

flagship store A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

concept in 2006, with its Mirafiori Motor Village in Turin, followed by London's on

Wigmore Street Wigmore Street is a street in the City of Westminster, in the West End of London. The street runs for about 600 yards parallel and to the north of Oxford Street between Portman Square to the west and Cavendish Square to the east. It is named afte ...

in 2008 and Paris's on the Champs-Élysées in 2010.

BSM-Fiat deal

In 2009, BSM (the British School of Motoring) ended a 16-year relationship with

Vauxhall Motors Vauxhall Motors LimitedCompany No. 00135767. Incorporated 12 May 1914, name changed from Vauxhall Motors Limited to General Motors UK Limited on 16 April 2008, reverted to Vauxhall Motors Limited on 18 September 2017. () is a British car compa ...

and signed a deal with Fiat UK to swap its learner vehicle from the Vauxhall Corsa to the new

. Fiat UK were expected to supply 14,000 cars to BSM over four years in a marketing deal.

References

External links

*
Fiat Automobiles Press

Fiat Light Commercial Vehicles

Old Fiat Concept Cars
{{Portal bar, Italy, Companies, Transportation, Cars Car brands Car manufacturers of Italy Conglomerate companies of Italy Electric vehicle manufacturers of Italy Italian brands Italian companies established in 1899 Stellantis Turin motor companies Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1899