Fiat's new Panda has been voted International Car of the Year for 2004 beating off six other shortlisted contenders to win the prestigious title.
MG Rover is unlikely to survive another 10 years in its current form, Ford of Europe must restructure urgently, and General Motors will remain reluctant to make its relationship with Fiat any more formal.
The international Car of the Year jury, composed of 58 senior motoring journalists representing 22 European countries, has just voted the new Fiat Panda Car of the Year 2004.
Fiat Auto's operating losses improved to £196mn in the third quarter of 2003, compared to £233m last year, but were worse than anticipated.
Fiat Auto's German import company is pleased with the initial result of its arrangement with mail order house Tschibo to market a special edition Stilo model via the firm's catalogue and website.
Slumping sales have dragged Fiat into crisis. If the marque is to survive, it needs to rediscover the formula that made it successful in the first place: funky, but charming, small cars.
General Motors and Fiat have agreed to delay by one year the date from which their put option starts. That means the option period, under which Fiat can sell its car business to GM, will now run from Jan 2005, until July 2010. <P>
Fiat retailers will be able to offer their customers supermarket-style loyalty points on sales, servicing and repairs thanks to a new scheme currently on trial in mainland Europe.
Former Toyota (GB) aftersales operations general manager David Collins (right) has been appointed aftersales director at Fiat Auto (UK).
The German mail order business Tschibo has joined another German counterpart in retailing new cars, but in contrast to the Quelle operation which offered 10% off new Golf Mk 5s before they hit showrooms, is offering a limited edition Fiat Stilo with the full co-operation of the manufacturer.
General Motors Corp and Fiat SpA have announced that they will delay by a year the start of the 'put option' that will allow Fiat to sell Fiat Auto to GM.
Fiat Auto has named former Audi chairman Herbert Demel as its new chief executive officer with effect from November 15. He replaces Giancarlo Boschetti, who will retire a year early.
Although the news this morning has yet to be officially announced, Fiat SpA, as expected, is widely reported to have confirmed the appointment of the Austrian Herbert Demel to succceed Giancarlo Boschetti.
Quoting unnamed sources, Automotive News Europe reports that Fiat Group chairman Umberto Agnelli will confirm by the end of October the appointment of Magna-Steyr CEO Herbet Demel as the successor to Giancarlo Boschetti as CEO of Fiat Auto.
Blueback, a new company aiming to transform London's fragmented £850 million private hire vehicle (or mini cab) market, has chosen Fiat Auto's Multipla six-seater mini-MPV as its figurehead vehicle to launch the venture.
Renault, PSA and Fiat are all recalling vehicles to fix electronics problems which also affect pre-launch Citroen C2s
Jose Maria Alapont, head of international operations for Delphi Corp., has been appointed CEO of Fiat Group's truck subsidiary Iveco. He succeeds Michel de Lambert, who took over when GianCarlo Boschetti was moved to head Fiat Auto.
Fiat is gearing up its 165-strong dealer network to win more corporate business with the creation of a fleet specialist programme for retailers.
Wall Street press rumours suggest the Carlyle Group is close to signing a deal to acquire Fiat's aerospace unit FiatAvio – an important non-core asset sale in Fiat's restructuring plan.
