Very sad, they have been responsible for so many brilliant designs in the past. Yes the 500 makes them money, but personally i don't like it, or any of it's derivatives (including the 500X).

The current fiat i'd most like would be the panda, but i'd prefer the previous panda to the current one, and i'd prefer an original to it!.

The firm has unofficially been up for sale for a while now. The Chinese and Hyundai/Kia have been sniffing round but neither seems to want the job lot with heavy loss making Lancia and Alfa dragging the firm down along with the high cost of manufacturing in Italy and the difficulty of closing plants thanks to labour laws. If someone doesn’t step in I fear the firm will fail in the long run. It’s only the 500 range that’s making money, everything else is sold purely by giving them away at mass discount.

Lancia is virtually extinct, just one model, theYpsilon, sold only in Italy now.

Alfa- Romeo increased global sales by 62% in 2017

RAM is doing well

Jeep is in a quiet spell as most models are being replaced

Fiat and Chrysler seem to be the problem brands.

Would Fiat be allowed to fail or be sold.

Fiat shut a plant in Poland despite it being more modern and productive then its equivelent in Italy.

If Fiat was looking to sell why buy Chrysler/Jeep

For me, in a world of jelly moulds and lookalikes, Alfa has stood out over the last few years as about the only affordable car which is truly interesting to look at.

OK, the technology and build quality has been dodgy, but that badge alone is to die for, even when attached to the front of a spluttering rustbucket.

"With £40k to spend, some will be put off (perhaps wrongly) by the cheap-feeling interior compared with Alfa's German competitors; some (more justifiably) by the uncertain residuals" - Avant

I'm baffled as to why it should be wrong or unjustified for somebody spending £40k to be put off by a cheap interior? That's where you sit, after all.

There seems to be a school of thought in some quarters that anybody who considers a car's looks, interior finish or extras to be of any importances is somehow clueless, and all that matters is what sits under the bonnet and how it'll depreciate. I'd suggest that it's perfectly reasonable to expect a car to appeal in all areas, and it's a sensible decision to decline one that doesn't! And anybody spending £40k probably doesn't have the finances at the top if their list of concerns.

Anyhow, I hope Fiat and Alfa pull through. Jeep and Chrysler on the other hand...

Edited by 520i on 09/02/2018 at 23:50

worth adding the Tipo is a nice car, much more space inside than a Ford Focus

That is fair enough, but the focus is known as being one of the less spacious cars in its class. The problem for the tipo is the nissan pulsar, which is probably it's most direct competitor. It has a more spacious cabin (albeit a smaller boot), is faster, more economical and cheaper.

I'm a little Tipo, short and stout; Fix me again - I'm all clapped out.

Now the engine's boiling! Hear me shout, 'Open the doors and all get out'.

www.msn.com/en-ca/autos/autoscompact/fiat-expected...3

Fiat down to 2 models???

FIAT..... Fix It Again Tomorrow...Enough said.

I'm always surprised thet Fiat didn't go the same way as British Leyland!

So Fiat are winding down car production in Italy and recently Ford has announced that they're axeing most of their car range in the USA. Both organisations are at the back of the grid in the race to develop electric cars. Any coincidence?

Edited by Sofa Spud on 21/05/2018 at 22:22

some are predicting this is the year that age catches up with the Fiat 500 and sales will start to nose dive.