Marchionne: Fiat Will Never Again Be 'A General Brand' In Europe

by Cameron Aubernon

Published: March 5th, 2015

Once a mass-market player in Europe, FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne says Fiat will never again be as such.

According to Automotive News Europe, Marchionne made the proclamation during this year’s Geneva Auto Show:

In terms of the scope of a mass producer of vehicles, Fiat (brand) no longer offers — and it never intends to have — a full range of product of the kind mass brands have. Fiat will lose its appeal as a general brand and it will focus on what it does best.

He adds that “the economics are not there” to keep Fiat in the mass-market arena as far as investments are concerned, and has no plans to claw back lost market share in Europe. As such, Marchionne has refocused the brand’s European lineup toward smaller cars like the 500 range, the Panda, and upcoming replacements for the Bravo and Punto.

#EuropeanDomesticMarket #Fca #Fiat #SergioMarchionne

Cameron Aubernon

Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.

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9 of 35 comments

Silence on Mar 05, 2015

A FIAT 500 with the Hellcat engine and AWD would be a pretty hot seller here. Or maybe just a 300 HP I4 Hellkitten engine and AWD.

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- Lorenzo on Mar 06, 2015
  
  I'm trying to envision fitting a Chrysler 6.3L V8 into a 500 engine bay longitudinally. I'm thinking the driver will have to move to the back seat, and the car will have a 76/24 weight distribution. Imagine the cornering!
  
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GeneralMalaise on Mar 05, 2015

Because JD Power!!!!

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Palandi on Mar 07, 2015

every time I remember what Sergio did to Lancia, I want to punch him in the face.

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- Bobman on Mar 08, 2015
  
  I guess you're referring to re-badging Chryslers in Europe. If so, I agree that wasn't a very nice thing to do. However, Lancia was having problems long before Sergio came along. Don't lose hope though, once the Alfa Romeo project is done and deemed a success, we'll see a revival of the Lancia brand. Guaranteed!!
  
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- Palandi on Mar 08, 2015
  
  bobman, for sure, Lancia was having problems at least since the 1950s - the Fiat takeover in 1969 saved the brand and they kept making great cars - Montecarlo, Stratus, the first-gen Delta - in the 1970s and early 1980s. when Fiat bought Alfa Romeo in 1986/87, however, they lost the plot about Lancia. the brands overlapped a lot, a process of selling rebadged Fiats with a few upmarket bells and whistles began and it's been more than 20 years that Lancia doesn't mean anything they once were known for. while the Fiat brand got back on track with the 2005 Punto and the 2007 500, it seems clear to me that Sergio has a good plan for both the ends of FCA: he knows how to sell Fiats, Jeeps and Dodges on one end and Maseratis, Ferraris and halo American cars (Hellcats and Vipers) on the other end. but there's a missing link between these sides (Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler). I can't see any good ideas for them, and the idea of confining Lancia into Italy, selling a badge-engineered Fiat Panda, is really sad.
  
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- Bobman on Mar 08, 2015
  
  @palandi Sergio will get alfa's mojo back. Then the focus will be on Lancia. The brand will then achieve heights never before reached. Bet on it.
  
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- Corey Lewis on Mar 09, 2015
  
  @bobman Is there a point to focusing on Lancia? I'm thinking it's one of those too-far-gone instances. There isn't anything that Lancia did, that Fiat or Alfa couldn't do now instead. Except maybe rally cars. But even that was a long time ago, and not especially relevant to sales today like it once was (80s).
  
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Bobman on Mar 09, 2015

Sergio had created quite an uproar in Italy when he introduced the re-badged Chryslers as Lancias. There is a following in Italy that would love to have the 'real' Lancias back. Could add some additional unique market competition for FCA against the higher end brands in Europe. Admittaly a niche market though.

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