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Automotive News & Views Chrysler Allies With Fiat
415 messages, Last post on Dec 07, 2009 at 2:55 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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"EVER" is probably exaggerated, but I know what you mean about Motor Trend. Since you've indicated you like small, nimble, economical cars, does the Fiat 500 appeal to you?
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Replying to: hpmctorque (Jan 22, 2009 10:01 am) |
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After pondering the details of the Chrysler-Fiat alliance, I've concluded that the old saying "the devil's in the details" applies to this situation. My emotional mind wants to hope that this will turn out to be a "little engine that could" story, and that this deal will beat the odds, but my rational mind thinks that the odds for success are considerably less than 50-50. Why? Money and time, time and money. Let's talk about money first. The consummation of the deal requires the U.S. government to kick in another $3 billion in bailout aid to Chrysler. That'll be a really tough sell in Washington. Second, lets look at the time factor. Even if Chrysler were given $3 billion, it's unlikely to tide the company over for the time it will take to get federalized Fiats or Fiat-badged Dodges and Chryslers into U.S. showrooms. A third, though less serious hurdle than the first two, is Fiat's legacy of unreliability in this country. I think this is surmountable, and that perception lags reality on this issue, since, like Volkswagen, Fiat has been competing with the leading Asian and European brands in Europe and around the world for many years now. Competition has forced Fiat to improve its quality and reliability significantly. Fiats may not yet be as reliable as Toyotas and Hondas, but they've got compensating attributes. They're economical, feisty, fun-to-drive cars, with interesting styling. I predict that competition will continue to exert pressure on Fiat to focus on improving quality and reliability, until these will cease to be significant issues.
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http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2009-01-22-chrysler-fiat-merger-deal_N.htm I'll also petition my Congressmen to have Chrysler and/or Cerberus to return 35% or all of the loan $ ! 
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Replying to: hpmctorque (Jan 23, 2009 2:17 am) (Although, it will affect the attitudes of previous Fiat owners.)
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| Between one thing and another, Chrysler and Fiat will likely need a Plan B for an alliance. | |
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Replying to: gogogodzilla (Jan 23, 2009 11:40 am) FIAT still means Found in A Toilet to me. I spent way too much money maintaining a Fiat Spyder for my son while he was in HS. He just had to have that POC. I don't think I would every look at another FIAT. |
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From today's Detroit Free Press... "Don't dismiss Fiat so quickly Recent products show it has plenty to offer its would-be U.S. partner BY MARK PHELAN • FREE PRESS COLUMNIST • January 25, 2009 Boxy, rusty, antiquated and unreliable. To understand how Fiat engineers and designers feel when Americans talk about their cars this way in discussions of their proposed alliance with Chrysler, Detroiters should remember how they felt when members of Congress dismissed American vehicles as low-quality, unreliable gas guzzlers. The vehicles Fiat produces today bear as much resemblance to the lousy cars that sent it slinking out of the country in the 1980s as the excellent 2009 Chevrolet Malibu does to a 1986 Chevy Chevette, which, you may recall, was an ugly little rustbox. There's no telling yet if Fiat's alliance with Chrysler will pay off, but if you want to see what the Italian automaker has to offer, consider the Fiat 500, the award-winning little car that has become the company's poster child. The tiny 500 is a Mediterranean Mini Cooper, but 9.1 inches shorter. It offers charming style and advanced technology in a package that buyers across Europe have found irresistible since it debuted nearly two years ago. Like the Mini Cooper, the 500 trades on heritage. The stylishly rounded 500 harks back to two previous models that built Fiat's reputation. The prewar 500 or Topolino, was so beloved that its nickname means "little mouse," the same thing Italians called Mickey Mouse. The postwar 500 was a simple and inexpensive car that put Italy on wheels in the same way the VW Beetle helped restart the German economy. Fiat ended production of the 500 in 1975 before resurrecting it a couple of years ago. Today's 500 builds on their looks, but adds a beautifully trimmed interior and advanced features like Blue & Me. As Ford did developing its trailblazing Sync feature, Fiat worked with Microsoft to provide a system that seamlessly integrates hands-free phones and iPods into the car, providing voice control and minimizing driver distraction. Several small engines make the 500 one of Europe's most fuel-efficient cars. It sold out in weeks after debuting, and it costs thousands of dollars less than a Mini Cooper that starts at $18,500. The 500's platform is also the basis for Ford's new Ka city car. Fiat is to build the car for Ford at a plant in Poland. The 500 is high on the list of cars Fiat would like to build in North America, and it's one of the reasons Chrysler's potential partner is worth a second look."
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Replying to: hpmctorque (Jan 25, 2009 4:10 am)
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| Hasn't Chrysler been here before? I recall somewhere around the 60's Chrysler affiliated with companies like Simca and Mitsubishi in order to get small cars to combat VW and growing Datsun and Toyota. Remeber the Plymouth Cricket and Dodge Colt? Heck, GM couldn't pull it off with its own overseas subsidiaries. Opel was marginal at best for Buick and Pontiac dealers probably lost money on Vauxhall. I guess Mitsu did give Chrysler those blue smoke engines on some cars like early minivans. Ironically, I think VW was involved in the early Omni Horizon twins including providing some of the engines. | |
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