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 The
new Ferrari Challenge Stradale lines up alongside the 360 Modena and Spider
in Geneva today, a lightweight 360-variant which draws on the "Challenge"
race cars and aims to counter the threat from the Lamborghini Gallardo
which receives its world premiere here also. During its design Ferrari
gave exclusive preference to Challenge and 360 GT racing-type solutions
for all aspects of the car and every single performance parameter, the
combination of which gives this car its highly individual character.
The starting point was aerodynamics, where the aim was to obtain increased vertical load, or downforce (which gives more speed when cornering rather than a higher top speed), followed by all the vehicle-specific features (transmission, set-up and braking and in particular the introduction of carbon-ceramic brakes as standard). And finally achieving the lowest possible weight. The car's claimed "drastic" weight loss is one of the most significant achievements of the Challenge Stradale project: the weight was reduced by incorporating racing solutions for every single one of the car's components. |
| Friday's Fiat board meeting
has seen Umberto Agnelli, 68-year-old younger brother of Gianni, replace
Paolo Fresco as Group Chairman as the Agnelli family once again takes control
of the company. Fresco was expected to step down in the summer, but the
transition has been accelerated.
As Fiat's top management continues to turnover, Umberto has immediately brought in Guiseppe Morchio to replace Alessandro Barberis as CEO. Morchio, 55-years-old, was a senior executive of Pirelli tyres for 21 years, and becomes the Group's fourth CEO in nine months. Regarded as conservative, he is unlikely to change the company's direction much. Jack Welch, Fresco's former Chairman at GE, has stepped down from his position as a non-executive director on the Fiat board, along with another Fresco ally Felix Rohatyn. Ferrari-Maserati Chairman Luca di Montezemolo has stepped up to join the board, to complete the sweeping re-shuffle. The meeting is also believed to have rubber stamped the sale of the Toro and Avio divisions to raise cash. All eyes will now be focused on Umberto, who last year said he could forsee a future for Fiat without the carmaking arm, although subsequently he pledged to retain the division. Close to Silvio Berlusconi, a greater input from the Italian government is expected. |
| Fiat have posted a €4.26
billion net loss for 2002, making it the automotive and industrial group's
worst ever year. The struggling auto division which has caused all the
problems ended the year with a €1.34 billion loss, again its biggest
ever deficit, after posting a €180 million fourth quarter loss.
However as the company seeks to relaunch itself, the board is reported to have approved a €5 billion recapitalisation plan, with €3 billion being made available to the auto division immediately. |
| The 73rd Geneva Motor Show
will be the most significant show for the major Italian marques in several
years. Despite huge losses and an uncertain future the Fiat Group are turning
up with an array of exciting new models, stylish concepts and racing cars
with the marque seeing this show as the first step in their relaunch.
Fiat lead the way with the as yet un-named 'Projet 169' supermini and the 'Project 350' Punto-based compact B-MPV, both which have been carefully thought out and are vital to the company's future survival. Joining the already seen off-road Simba will be the Project 169-based "Marrakesh" dune buggy concept. Alfa Romeo will weight in with the facelifeted GTV and Spider which boast new powerplants and reworked interiors. The new 156-based "Coupe GT", a Sportwagon GTA dressed up as a crossover segment vehicle and the new Sports"TI" branding on a 147 will complete the new offerings on a very stylish stand. Lancia will show off the new Y which offers upmarket styling and the "skydome" roof. The "Fulietta" concept, already given the green light for production will give pointers towards the future. Of the Sportscar manufacturer's Pagani weight in with a 7.3-litre Roadster version of their C12 S, while Lamborghini will unveil the mid-size Gallardo, one of the most eagerly awaited sportscars in years. Ferrari will fight back with the stripped-down 360 "Challenge Stradale" and Maserati will bring the 2003 Evolution Coupe and Spider which offer "significant technical upgrades", although rumour has it that scale models may give pointers to their Ferrari Enzo-based GT racer. |
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 Fiat
will be exhibiting another new sporty product at the Geneva Motor Show
next month. This is the Stilo Abarth equipped with a 170 bhp 2.4 20v engine
but now offering a five-speed manual gearbox, a combination that aims to
capture buyers who would rather drive a manual car than the Stilo Abarth
with Selespeed robotised gearbox currently the only option on the market. |
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| The Geneva Motor Show will
see the world premiere of the new Lancia Ypsilon. A neat and stylish car
it follows the 'family' styling cues of the recent Thesis and Phedra, while
drawing heavily on historic Lancia models with its modern but retro-inspired
look.
The Y tag of the previous model is expanded to the full Greek Ypsilon, while in Lancia's words, "The new car is a veritable pocket flagship. This is borne out by a stylish shape that is a modern take on the styling tradition of historical Lancia cars: sophisticated combinations of colours, fabrics and materials; extensive opportunities for customisation to individual customer tastes and lifestyles. The Lancia Ypsilon will offer the new 1.3 Multijet 16v engine combined with a sophisticated Dualmode robotised gearbox: a power unit that combines all the benefits of diesel and petrol engines with manual or automatic transmissions. The new model also offers a set of exclusive devices including the extensive Skydome roof to a dual zone automatic climate control system and Bose® Sound System Hi-Fi. |
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