Chrysler


Turin and the art of coachbuilders (1946-1980)

First of all Massimo Porta is an “old” friend: I met him during the army service – 45 year ago more or less – and we did many things together. For this reason, I can talk about his book “Turin and the art of coachbuilders (1946-1980)” without any fear of being biased. Massimo Porta is neither a writer nor a designer and he has never worked in an automotive company. In...

Remember those great Volkswagen ads?

Remember those great Volkswagen ads?
In 1959 Volkswagen was at a turning point: in the previous year it sold 150,000 Beetles in the USA, dangerously approaching the maximum result obtainable through the word-of-mouth among customers. To avoid the stagnating sales the choice is only one: to develop an advertising campaign. The DDB won the selection among 400 advertisers,until then the DDB had advertised department stores, (Israeli) airlines,...

FCA: the future after Marchionne

Fiat
It has been no more than 8 months, even if it seems more, from when the Market value of FCA with Ferrari and CNH has reached the value of 73 billion dollars compared with the 63 billion of GM; which once was THE colossus of the automotive industry. The capitalization of FCA was close to $ 29.5 billion; after the spin-off of Ferrari that alone had a value of about 18 billion. With the death of Sergio...

Pirelli and Pininfarina: an unavoidable epilogue

Pirelli
Another company in the automotive sector of our Europe moved in the court of the giant Asian ChemChina. Pirelli, the fifth tire manufacturer on the world, has been acquired by means of sovereign funds of nationalized China. An operation financially complex which opens the debate to a series of assessments on the health conditions of our badly off capitalism, especially if you consider that the company...

Time stays, carmakers go.

carmakers
In Italy, in five years, carmakers have lost more than 1,600 dealers, while the dealers of trucks (550 in 2009), today are only 110. Also in the ultra-efficient US there was a die-off: NADA-data shows that more than 6,500 dealers have disappeared. Whilst of the remaining 17,665 dealerships, 5,000 of them sell less than 10 new cars per month, and 7,000 fewer than 30 per month. These numbers in Europe...

QNX: the future and the present of the infotainment

Maserati rear obstacle
QNX Software Systems Ltd is released by BlackBerry leading provider of operating systems, middleware, development tools and professional services for integrated systems. Audi, Siemens, General Electric, Cisco and Lockheed Martin use QNX technology for their on-board systems, medical device, industrial automation, router and more. QNX announced at the CES 2015 in Las Vegas, the last January 5th, that...

New FCA Group: Second semester 2014

World Map
The Second semester of the year shows positive data for the new FCA Group at a global level, in particular in the European market and the North American one as well. More in detail throughout the semester- just ended- FCA has recorded increases higher than those of both the Spanish and UK market, even with significant increases in double digits. Instead the sales trend in the important German and French...

2014: First quarter Sales for FCA

Lingotto
Waiting the launch of the new business plan FCA by Marchionne about the near future, planned for 6th,May in Detroit and that in addition to confirmations and new directions for the Group’s brands, it should finally clarify the expected developments of “Alfa Romeo”, meanwhile we comment the results referring to car registrations of Chrysler Fiat Group Automobiles in the first quarter of 2014. We...

Marchionne, from FGA to FCA the wind changes… all aboard!

Marchionne
Is time that, intentionally, I don’t write about Fiat (in a general sense). I’ve also intended , after the fusion announced at the beginning of January 2014, to not do it until May when the new project FCA will be launched. I decided so, both individually and as Automotive Space, because several reasons such as: Automotive Spaces doesn’t deal with gossip, we let do it to guru! They need it...

Old Europe, if you’re there knock once

Europa
Coming back to Italy after a couple of weeks spent in different European continental countries and Northern ones, I realize that during that time I never heard about Marchionne. And this is not because in the rest of the Europe nobody speaks about cars – Fiat as well- about the crisis of the sector, staff redundancies and factory closures…. But perhaps it is a bit less pressing the identification...

Relaunching Alfa Romeo: A bit of Ferrari in the future

ferrari
While the spotlight around the world are focused on the latest models of the Detroit Motor Show, in Italy still echoes the words of Sergio Marchionne and John Elkann pronounced during the press conference about the Group, the results achieved and the perspectrives for the future. In fact the merger and the IPO were discussed, as well as the ” new headquarter issue”, dealt with after the...

Downsizing inside the automotive: another hoax that vanishes

Downsizing auto
More than two years ago I instilled the doubt about the Downsizing “trend”, which was all the rage inside the automotive, and about the Economics of decline. My argument, with all humility towards leaders and excelled speakers’ opinion (who benefit JUST in saying certain declarations and not thanks the truthfulness, NOW ready to change the repertory of their interventions) was very...

Fiat “buys” in the USA, a hundred years of history

Fiat in USA
Fiat looked at the USA since the business foundation in 1902 by Senator Agnelli and in 1909 with the building of a factory. The acquisition of Chrysler by Fiat, made official in the first days of January, has had wide media coverage, even if with different interpretations. How much of this acquisition will be positive to the Company, and to those who work in it, to Turin and Italy we will see in the...

Fiat World: Anno Domini 2013

Fiat in the world
Let me spend a few words about “the news” which ends the 2013 – the strategic importance of the acquisition by Fiat of the entire Chrysler block of shares. Marchionne will launch soon, no later than May, the new plane of release for the the Group with the timetable of presentation of new models, at least, as well as the list of establishments involved. Meanwhile you can already hear voices alluding...

November: the FIAT Group in the world

500 gigante
According to the main global markets data of November 2013 we can try to make a view, concise but accurate, on the trend of our National Builder about the main markets in the world, also expressing thoughts and forecasts. European automotive market, overall, registered in November a little growth of 0.9%, this marks the end of the month with an increasing trend for the 3rd consecutive month. In November...

Interview with Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO – Mopar® – 1^st part

Gorlier
Date of the interview: March, 26 2013 Professional Profile: Pietro Gorlier was born in Turin (Italy), he joined the Fiat Group in 1989 as a market analyst in Iveco helding various positions in logistics, in the After Sales and Customer Care, before joining Fiat Group Automobiles in 2006. After the experience in FGA and in CNH Global N.V., he joined Chrysler Group. He is President and CEO of MOPAR®...

CRM: the “Waterloo” of the dealers

Waterloo
2012 has been succesfull for carmakers: they all made money selling cars! GM is back # 1 in the world, followed by Toyota and Ford. Ferrari had the best result of 66 years of history. Martin Winkertorn celebrated the records in sales and profits at VW Group with a personal superbonus of 14,000,000. Fiat-Chrysler sold 4.209 million cars, with a net profit of 1.4 billion. In January 2013 has further...

Interview with Paolo Gagliardo, Head of Brand Lancia/Chrysler for EMEA – 2^nd part

Gagliardo
…the first part! GLOBALISATION!  This term should allow you to achieve a product that is in line with the tastes of the “entire world”, with the underlying principle of listening to your customers. Are Lancia and Chrysler getting to grips with this term? Do they listen to the large mass of customers who are trying to convey their expectations? If not, what’s missing and what...

Interview with Paolo Gagliardo, Head of Brand Lancia/Chrysler for EMEA – 1^st part

Gagliardo
Interview Date: January 4, 2013 Professional Profile: Paolo Gagliardo, after an MBA at Columbia Business School in New York, has built great part of its career in the Automotive industry. He has worked in Ford Motor Company and FIAT in various Marketing, Sales and Product assignments in the UK, US and Italy. He has also worked in the Italian Railroad Company, as Chief Marketing Officer and Piaggio...

Mike Robinson: interview with a versatile designer – 3rd Part

Mike Robinson
Third and final part of the interview with Mike Robinson, Brand Manager and Chief Designer by Bertone. The first part will find it here as this is the second. Recently you also assumed the responsibility of the transportation design department? Do you think this area can improve, change substantially in the near future? What are the your suggestions? Taking on the responsibility of the world of transportation...

Mike Robinson: interview with a versatile designer – 2nd Part

robinson
Here there is the first part of the interview with Mike Robinson, Brand Manager and Chief Designer in Bertone. You always create futuristic designs and as a source of inspiration you have the historical Bertone masterpieces. How do you think the design world will evolve in the next 10 years?  Will the car remain the same object that we know today? In 10 years from now cars will be almost identical...

Mike Robinson: interview with a versatile designer – 1st Part

Mike Robinson
Date of interview: March 3, 2012 Professional Profile: Mike Robinson Notes: Interview by Artemisa Bega   While thinking about the automotive world in general, and more specifically about the car design world, including communication and the fascinating star system in the industry, I remembered a very special, unique personality that I had the pleasure of interviewing, which produced an unusual...

In Russia Ghosn beats Marchionne 31 to 1. Nasdrovie Tovarish!

Russia
While in Italy manufacturers, importers and dealers are losing dozens of employees and millions of euro every day – and Fiat develops his worst results in the last 30 years – in Russia the Carmakers seems to play war games. The Russian market is a great opportunity for manufacturers and dealers: last year, 2,652,000 cars were sold with a growth of 39.1% over 2010. As reported by Focus...

European people urgently needs an Industrial Automotive Project

European
In 2008 the global financial crisis hit European Economy reducing real purchase power and effecting commodities sectors, including the automotive. Markets started to decline and the European Governments decided to support automotive, considering the high impact over GDP. In All Top 5 European markets, scrap incentive schemes were introduced in order to stimulate market demand and push low emission...

Interview to Marco Saltalamacchia

Saltalamacchia
Interview Date: March, 14th 2012. Professional Profile: Marco Saltalamacchia Remarks: Interview carried by  Pietro Montagna   I have asked Mr. Marco SALTALAMACCHIA (former Senior Vice President of BMW Sales & CEO of BMW Italy SpA) some thoughts about the future of our sector. Good Morning Mr. Saltalamacchia, the current crisis of the European Automotive Market triggered a huge brainstorming...

British Renaissance

British
Months ago I signed a subscription to Automotive News, digital magazine that keeps me informed in what’s going on in the automotive world in Europe and the States, and I read that in Europe despite the divestiture of brands such as Dahiatsu there are Japanese who continue to believe and invest, with prospects of double-digit growth in the coming years. In particular, I was amazed at how the United...

Global cars sales outlook – March 2012

March 2012
“2012 started full of uncertain for OEMs in the automotive industry” this was how I started my article last month. At that time reports on January Chinese market performance were not yet available and when they arrived, with an incredible 26% lost year on year, Car OEMs Top Executives become really nervous. Chinese data were affected by the Chinese New Year falls, with fewer working days, but nobody...

Alfa’s development looking at economies of scale and products

I recently explained in this article  how Alfa should focus on a “compact D” segment car to acquire former customers of 156 model. I even reiterated the necessity of Alfa of fitting rear-wheel drive for those clients who want something more. Furthermore, the inability to satisfy both European and American market, is increasing the time to market, with redefinition of style and design solutions...

Fiat in Serbia, what will the future bring?

Fiat Serbia
A national news program gave the news a few days ago that Italian companies are investing in Serbia where Italy will be the third largest partner behind Russia and Germany but with the goal, on the part of the Italian government, of earning the second spot if not even the first. Regarding Fiat and its future, we wonder about the status of the work being done on the new factory planned for Serbia, where...

Build and sell cars is still a good business! Not for everyone.

Build-225x300
Noting the difficulties of Chrysler and GM, the dreaded sale of Opel, the drastic restructuring of many OEMs, but also the ‘extermination’ of thousands of dealers in Italy and around the world – people I meet ask me if it still worth to build and sell cars. The impressions and the… ‘stomach ache’ of those who are suffering ‘in the trenches of the automotive’...