Fiat is “Cool Again” say The Economist
July 16th, 2007The Economist has an excellent report on the Fiat group. The article in particular focuses on the companies remarkable turnaround from the brink of bankruptcy to returning a profit, culminating in the release this month of the new flagship Fiat 500.
As many writers have done recently, the author believes the new 500 will serve to add a halo effect to the company, enhancing and reinvigorating Fiat’s image, particularly in their home market of Italy.
The new 500 raises Fiat’s game further. Some analysts have questioned the impact it will have on Fiat’s future, arguing that it is a niche model that will be built at a rate of “only” 120,000 cars a year. But the reaction of the usually hard-bitten motoring press suggests otherwise. In recent years no small car, not even the new Mini (designed by Frank Stephenson, the man behind the new 500), has been greeted with such enthusiasm.
The report, particularly for an online edition, is detailed, informative and well worth a read if you want to appreciate a little better what the 500 means to Fiat, and how the financial world believe it will affect the companies fortunes.
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