| 14.12.2002 |
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Embattled Fiat Group Chairman
and CEO, Paolo Fresco has refused to resign, as he had been expected to
do at yesterday's board meeting. Two sides have formed up in the battle
for the future of Fiat. Fresco, most of the board and the creditor banks
which this summer lent Fiat €3bn, are pitted against major shareholders,
the Agnelli family, influential merchant bank, Mediobanca, and Italian
Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi. |
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| 13.12.2002 |
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Production of Fiat's new
mini-car, codename "New Small" has been allocated to the Tichy factory
in Poland. The replacement for the ageing Seicento and 22-year veteran
Panda, strongly tipped to be known as the Fiat Small, will commence production
next May. A 3-door version will closely follow the initial 5-door only
option. |
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| 11.12.2002 |
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Fiat CEO Gabriele Galateri
di Genola resigned yesterday. It is also believed that Fiat are discussing
with GM termination of the agreement which will force the US car giant
to buy the auto division in 2004 if Fiat wish. GM would in turn give up
the option of first refusal on the sale of Fiat assets, allowing the transfer
of Alfa Romeo to the Ferrari-Maserati Group which would sell a "significant
but minority" stake to German carmarker Volkswagen AG. |
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| 11.12.2002 |
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The Bologna Motor Show has
been significant to the Italian auto industry for the new models and concepts
on display. These include the Fiat Simba mini-off road concept which gives
pointers to the Seicento replacement, the Fiat Doblo Sandstorm off road
racer painted in eye-catching 'snake' colours, the facelifted Fiat Barchetta
making its public debut, as well as the show stopping Ferrari Enzo and
Alfa Romeo Brera. |
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| 11.12.2002 |
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Alfa are building a 300
bhp 3.5-litre Alfa 166GTA which will debut next December. It will be powered
by the 3.548cc engine recently revealed in the N-Technology built Alfa
156GTAm prototype which made its first public appearance at the weekend
on display at the Bologna Motor Show. Inside sources also state that the
end of 2003 will see the introduction of the Alfa 156GTA Evoluzione, with
four wheel drive and powered by either a 280 bhp 3.2-litre V6 JTS engine
or possibly the new 300 bhp 3.5-litre V6. |
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| 11.12.2002 |
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While the Formula 1 World
Championship winning Ferrari F2002 has been drawing in the crowds to the
motorsport arena in Bologna, the road-going Enzo supercar has dominated
crowds visiting the Ferrari stand. Mounted on a tilted platform first seen
at the model's launch in Paris, the Enzo has been joined by an F2002 and
several Ferrari Challenge 360 Modena's. |
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| 10.12.2002 |
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Maserati have confirmed
that they are in "exploratory talks" with Audi, following reports earlier
today in several Italian national newspapers. The talks, ongoing for several
weeks cover "commercial and technical" areas. |
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| 09.12.2002 |
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The opening weekend of the
Bologna Motor Show saw the on track action ending with two sets of races
for the Ferrari 360 Modena Challenge, a knock out competition for European
Touring Car Championship cars and drivers, and rounding off with a VIP
race for the brand new Alfa 147GTA Cup cars. Factory Alfa Romeo driver
Nicola Larini eventually won the Touring Car and 147GTA VIP races. |
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| 09.12.2002 |
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The stunning Italdesign
Brera has taken centre stage on the Alfa Romeo stand at the Bologna Motor
Show. This fully working prototype, based around the floorpan and mechanicals
of the Maserati Coupe, will form the basis of a limited run sportscar.
Over on the Lancia stand the Thesis executive saloon-based Grandturismo
concept car, built by Carcenaro with imput from Lancia Centro Style dominates
the display. |
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| 08.12.2002 |
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Stars of the opening day
of the 27th Bologna Motor Show were two Maserati Trofeo's and Michael Schumacher's
F1 World Championship winning Ferrari F2002. Firstly Ferrari F1 test driver,
Luciano Burti and Ferrari's GT tester Andrea Bertolini, provided formation
demonstration runs in the Maserati Trofeo's. Burti then took out the Ferrari
F2002, which Michael Schumacher drove this year to a fourth consecutive
F1 constructor's title, to the delight of the Italian crowd in the packed
grandstands. |
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| 06.12.2002 |
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The Fiat Simba, a prototype
mini off roader, has been unveiled at the Bologna Motor Show which officially
opens its doors tomorrow. Based on next years Panda/Seicento replacement,
codename "New Small" it gives pointers to how this important new Fiat "mini"
car will look. |
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| 03.12.2002 |
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With Alfa Romeo having announced
that the Maserati Coupe-based Italdesign-built Brera is to form the basis
of a limited production run €80,000 sportscar due out in 2004, leading
UK car magazine "Autocar" have come up with this image of how a production
version may look, based on current family styling cues and Alfa's statement
that the Brera's aggressive image will be toned down. |
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| 28.11.2002 |
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Bologna Motor Show: Full
Preview
All the cars and concepts
that will be at the Bologna Motor Show which opens on the 7th December.
Public debuts from Fiat include the prototype Simba mini off roader, prototype
Doblo Sandstorm off road racer, Punto Natural Power, new facelifted Barchetta
and Punto Student, designed by young people for young people. Alfa Romeo
will unveil the 156 GTAm a 300 bhp 3.5-litre road version of their SuperTourer
race car while the Italdesign Brera and Carcenaro Lancia Grandturismo receive
official blessing by headlining the Alfa and Lancia stands respectively. |
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| 28.11.2002 |
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Two new Puntos will make
their debuts in Bologna. The Punto Natural Power has a dual petrol/methane
fuel system, while the Punto Student has been specifically tailored towards
students with three hundred taking part in a study to find their optimum
car. |
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| 28.11.2002 |
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The Bologna Motor Show will
be the venue for the world premier of the new facelifted Fiat Barchetta.
The ageing shape is still mainly original, with a few extra details that
add impact. These include a bigger exhaust tail-pipe, revised headlamps,
a large radiator grille, more up-to-date bumpers at the front and rear,
and foglights as standard throughout the range. |
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| 27.11.2002 |
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Italdesign's Alfa Romeo
badged Brera concept car which will hit production in 2004 and the Carcenaro
designed Lancia Thesis based concept car are both to receive official blessing
by taking pride of place on the Alfa Romeo and Lancia stand's respectively
at the Bologna Motor Show which opens next weekend. |
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| 27.11.2002 |
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Alongside the Fiat Simba
in Bologna comes the Doblo Sandstorm, an offroad "Paris-Dakar"-style racer
with four wheel drive and improved suspension and raised ride height. All
this sits on 16in wheels fitted with 215/85 tyres. The braking system has
been beefed up with four pot callipers and vented discs at the front. Fiat
have revealed little further detail on any plans they may have for the
Sandstorm. |
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| 26.11.2002 |
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Alfa Romeo are to display
an Alfa 156 GTAm concept car at the Bologna Motor Show which is a pilot
car that is the outcome of a double challenge: to convert a racing car
into an on-road vehicle and also to improve on an engine that is already
one of the best around for performance and power. The 3.5-litre 300 bhp
car has been developed by Fiat's competition arm, N-technology, out of
this year's European Touring Car Championship winning Alfa 156 GTA. |
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| 26.11.2002 |
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Fiat are to launch a prototype
"mini-off roader" at the Bologna Motor Show which opens on the 7th December.
It is expected to be based on next year's Panda/Seicento replacing "New
Small". Apart from being fitted with a viscous coupling 4x4 drivetrain
Fiat are giving little away. |
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| 22.11.2002 |
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Fiat and the City of Turin
launched a ground breaking car sharing scheme yesterday. Members of the
Car City Club can use cars available in special parking lots located throughout
the urban area 24 hours a day. Vehicles can be booked by telephone and
usage is recorded in a personalised magnetic card. Cars can be picked up
and dropped off in any of 11 parking spots. |
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| 21.11.2002 |
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Ferrari plan to replace
the long serving 456 GT four seat "Grand Tourer" in 2004 with an all-new
car boasting power output raised to 500 bhp from an increased capacity
engine. The engine will be either 5.6 or 5.7-litre depending on the final
results of evaluation testing at Maranello. |
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| 21.11.2002 |
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The Maserati Quattroporte
prototype is seen road testing again. Maserati's Mercedes S-Class rivalling
super luxury executive saloon is due for release late next year. The prototype
shows clearly the lines accurately seen on the scale models first unveiled
at Tokyo's Aredinamica exhibition earlier this year. |
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| 21.11.2002 |
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Maserati are to build a
supercar based on Ferrari's new F1-technology derived Enzo. It is believed
that the project, to be known as the 6000GT, is significantly advanced
and should be launched by the end of next year. The car will be a virtual
clone of the Enzo, being expected to make use of the 660 bhp 6.0-litre
V12 engine and F1-style gearbox. |
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| 20.11.2002 |
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The much touted additional
new Lancia model expected in late 2004 is believed to be a medium sized
MPV based around a mix of Fiat Punto and Stilo components. Meanwhile the
Premium platformed replacement for the Lybra, due in September 2005 is
to be called the "Medea", while next year's Lancia Y is to break with tradition
and received an Italian/Greek inspired name, most likely to be "Venus". |
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| 19.11.2002 |
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Three new images of significant
new Fiat Group models have broken cover. The Fiat Punto B-MPV designed
to compete head on with the Ford Fusion and forthcoming GM "Monovolume",
the Fiat "New Small", due to replace the Panda and Seicento next year and
the Alfa Romeo 156-based coupe which shows frontal styling influences drawn
from the new 147 GTA. |
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| 17.11.2002 |
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Alfa Romeo's "Sports Utility
Vehicle" is given the go-ahead. The SUV will emphasise a sporting nature,
and will, according to Alfa Romeo "not be designed for offroad use". Meanwhile
the 156-based "Sprint" coupe will be launched at next September's Frankfurt
Motor Show, while the next generation GTV/Spider project has officially
gone back to the drawing board. |
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| 16.11.2002 |
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U-turn performed as Alfa
Romeo reveal they are to build an €80,000 sportscar based on Italdesign's
Brera prototype. Just 1,000 examples will be produced on a design visually
virtually identical to the Maserati Coupe based Brera, which made its debut
at March's Geneva Motor Show. The Brera has formed the basis of a new design
which has seen the Brera reworked by Alfa Centro Style and Italdesign,
known in-house as the "Evoluta". |
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| 15.11.2002 |
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It is believed that Ferrari-Maserati
Group boss, Luca di Montezemolo, is in discussions to replace Paolo Fresco
as Chairman of Fiat Spa. The move, expected to be favourably received by
both the markets and creditors, currently hinges on how he will work with
new CEO Galateri di Genoa, who replaced Paolo Cantarella during the summer. |
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| 08.11.2002 |
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The Italian car market slipped
down 3.9% year-on-year during October, giving up the slight incentive-induced
rise that occurred in September. Fiat's sales continued their slide, down
21.3% year-on-year, giving the auto division a 29.17% share of the new
car market. However analysts did draw comfort from the fact that the 21.17%
share represented a fractional rise over September's 28.73% figure. |
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| 07.11.2002 |
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Two Maserati's have just
taken part in the 'Supercar Rally 2002', Automotive Art in Motion. The
new Maserati Trofeo, driven by Ferrari F1 test driver, Luca Badoer and
co-driven by Italian TV presenter Daniele Bossari and a road-going Spyder
Cambiocorsa entered by French importer Charles Pozzi. The 2500 km events
saw 35 contemporary sportscars taking part in a non-competitive rally which
ran from Paris to Montecarlo via Italy over four days. |
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| 06.11.2002 |
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Fiat have released full
details of the new Stilo Stationwagon, officially to be known as the "Multi
Wagon", which they hope will rescue the poorly received Stilo range and
appeal to buyers in an important, growing market segment. The Stilo Multi
Wagon is a neat and cleverly designed car. It builds on the "multi-purpose
estate" theme that is currently very much in fashion. |
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| 05.11.2002 |
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Fiat have released third
quarter results which continue to see the group making heavy losses, much
higher than analysts were expecting, but an improvement on the second quarter
results, despite the traditional season sales downturn but including divestitures.
The Auto lost €340 million in the third quarter, but the auto division
which improved to post €51 million of that in September as restructuring
plans started to take hold |
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| 05.11.2002 |
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Iveco, the commercial arm
of Fiat Auto and Ruspromavto, Russia's biggest auto holding company have
signed an agreement to jointly produce engines, cars, vans buses and trucks.
Ruspromavto will provide factories, while Iveco will imput technological
expertise and financing. |
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| 04.11.2002 |
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Roberto Colciago and Gabriele
Tarquini have signed to drive alongside Nicola Larini in the official Team
Nordauto Alfa Romeo 156 GTA's in next years European Touring Car Championship.
21-year old Fabio Francia an upcoming driver from Italian Touring Car Championship
is expected to undertake a limited European Touring Car programme in a
fourth 156 GTA. |
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| 04.11.2002 |
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Full model-by-model review
of the British International Motor Show in Birmingham, England, including
photos of every Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Ferrari and Lamborghini model on display.
The show saw the UK debut's of the Alfa 147 GTA, Fiat Stilo SW and the
Ferrari Enzo supercar. |
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| 02.11.2002 |
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Ferrari's new Enzo supercar
has stunned visitors in Birmingham for the British International Motor
Show. One of the 660 bhp 6.0-litre V12-engined cars has been brought to
the show and is displayed on a large revolving angled turntable. All week
the F1-technology based successor to the F40 and F50 has drawn large crowds
to its stand. |
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| 01.11.2002 |
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The Fiat Stilo SW and the
new Ulysse MPV have made their British debuts at the British International
Motor Show, which concludes this weekend. The Stilo SW, known in the UK
as the "Stilo MP" and the Ulysse arrive on sale in England next spring. |
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| 31.10.2002 |
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The new Alfa Romeo 147 GTA
has made its UK debut at the British International Motor Show in Birmingham,
England. The 250 bhp 24v 3.2-litre engined hot hatch was represented by
a red version mounted on a round plinth at the forefront of the Alfa Romeo
stand. |
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| 29.10.2002 |
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The Alfa Romeo-badged Italdesign
Brera and Maserati's new sportcar, the Trofeo GT, have taken part in the
'Supercar Rally 2002', the second running of this non-competitive event
which has featured production and prototype supercars. The event started
in Paris on Wednesday and finished in Monaco on Sunday. Other Italian cars
taking part included a Lamborghini Murcielago, a number of Ferraris including
an F50, the Pagani Zonda C12S and the unusual Stola Abarth Monotipo |
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| 28.10.2002 |
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This "semi-official" image
of the forthcoming Alfa Romeo 156-based "Sprint" Coupe is hinted by Alfa
Romeo insiders as being close to the design team's current plans. While
the front of the Coupe closely follows the current styling cues of the
Alfa 147, the distincly overhanging rear end is individual. |
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| 25.10.2002 |
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There has been some good
news for the unpopular Fiat Stilo. In Brazil, the Stilo has won the first
ever 'Top Car TV - best car in Brazil' award. The prize, for cars built
in Brazil, was awarded by a panel of 14 TV motoring reporters representing
the nine most important states in the Country. |
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| 24.10.2002 |
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The Alfa Romeo 147 GTA,
Fiat Stilo SW ( known in the UK as the MP ), new Fiat Ulysse MPV and Ferrari
Enzo all make their UK debuts at the British International Motor Show which
opens its doors to the public tomorrow. Read our event preview. |
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| 22.10.2002 |
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A disguised Maserati Quattroporte
prototype has been spotted leaving the Ferrari factory at Maranello. The
Quattroporte, due to be unveiled late next year, is Maserati's rival to
the Mercedes S-class, BMW 7-series and new Jaguar XJ. |
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| 17.10.2002 |
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Alfa Romeo unveil details
of the new second generation 1.9 JTD "common rail" diesel engine which
incorporates their new Multijet technology. To be shortly available on
the 147, 156 and 156 Sportwagon models, they believe that this unit pushes
forward diesel engine technology. |
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| 16.10.2002 |
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Alfa Romeo have released
full technical details and specification of the new 147 GTA. They claim
a maximum speed of 246 km/h, a 0-60 km/h time of 6.3 seconds and 26.1 seconds
to cover the standing kilometre, catapulting the 147 GTA to the top of
the hot hatch market. The 250 bhp producing GTA comes with a sophisticated
Vehicle Dynamic Control system, along with an advanced ABS function, as
well as EBD, MSR, TCS and ASR. |
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