History of the Fiat car brand

Fiat takes pride of place in the automotive world. It is one of the well-known companies for the production of mechanical means for agriculture, construction, freight and passenger transportation, and, of course, cars.

The world history of car brands is complemented by the unique development of events that led the company to such fame. Here is the story of how a group of businessmen managed to turn one enterprise into an entire automobile concern.

Founder

At the dawn of the automotive industry, many enthusiasts began to think about whether to start producing vehicles of various categories. A similar question arose in the minds of a small group of Italian businessmen. The history of the automaker begins in the summer of 1899 in the city of Turin. The company was immediately named FIAT (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino).

Initially, the company was engaged in assembling Renault cars, which were equipped with De Dion-Bouton engines. At the time, these were some of the most reliable powertrains in Europe. They were bought by different manufacturers and installed on their own vehicles.

The very first plant of the company was built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. One and a half hundred employees worked on it. Two years later, Giovanni Agnelli became the CEO of the company. When the Italian government abolished the high import duty on steel, the company quickly expanded its business to include trucks, buses, ship and aircraft engines, and some agricultural machinery.

However, motorists are more interested in the start of production of passenger cars of this company. At first, these were exclusively luxury models that did not differ in their simplicity. Only the elite could afford them. But, despite this, the exclusive quickly diverged, as the brand often appeared among the participants in various races. In those days, it was a powerful launching pad that allowed to "promote" their brand.

Emblem

The first company emblem was created by an artist who depicted it as an old parchment with an inscription. The lettering was the full name of the newly minted automaker.

In honor of the expansion of the scope of activity, the management of the company decides to change the logo (1901). It was a blue enamel plate with a yellow abbreviation of the brand with the original A-shape (this element remains unchanged to this day).

After 24 years, the company decides to change the style of the logo. Now the inscription was made on a red background, and a laurel wreath appeared around it. This logo hinted at multiple victories in various automotive competitions.

In 1932, the design of the emblem changes again, and this time it takes the form of a shield. This stylized element matched perfectly with the original radiator grilles of the then models, which rolled off production lines.

In this design, the logo lasted for the next 36 years. Each model that rolled off the assembly line since 1968 had a plate with the same four letters on the grille, only visually they were made in separate windows on a blue background.

The 100th anniversary of the company's existence was marked by the appearance of the next generation of the logo. The designers of the company decided to return the emblem of the 20s, only the background of the inscription turned blue. This happened in 1999.

A further change in the logo took place in 2006. The emblem was enclosed in a silver circle with a rectangular inset and semicircular edges, which gave the emblem a three-dimensionality. The company name was written in silver letters on a red background.

Automotive brand history in models

The first car the plant employees worked on was the 3 / 12НР model. Its distinctive feature was the transmission, which moved the car exclusively forward.

• 1902 - Production of the sports model 24 HP begins. When the car won the first award, it was driven by V. Lancia, and on the 8HP model the general director of the company G. Agnelli set a record in the second Tour of Italy.
• 1908 - the company expands its scope of activities. A subsidiary of Fiat Automobile Co. appears in the United States. Trucks appear in the brand's arsenal, factories are involved in the production of ships and aircraft, as well as trams and commercial cars leave conveyors;
• 1911 - A company representative wins the Grand Prix race in France. The S61 model had a huge engine even by modern standards - its volume was 10 and a half liters.
• 1912 - The director of the company comes to the conclusion that it is time to move from limited cars for the elite and car racing to production cars. And the first model is Tipo Zero. To differentiate the design of the cars from other manufacturers' representatives, the company hired third-party designers.
• 1923 - after the company's participation in the creation of military equipment and complex internal problems (serious strikes led the company to almost collapse), the first 4-seater car appears. It had a batch number of 509. The main strategy of the leadership has changed. If earlier it was considered that the car was for the elite, now the motto was focused on ordinary customers. Despite attempts to push the project forward, the car was not recognized.
• 1932 - the first post-war car of the company, which received worldwide recognition. The debutant was named Balilla.
• 1936 - The model is presented to a worldwide audience of motorists, which is still in production and has three generations. This is the famous Fiat-500. The first generation lasted on the market from 36 to 55 years. Over the history of production, 519 thousand copies of that generation of cars were sold. This miniature two-seater car received a 0,6-liter engine. The peculiarity of this car was that the body was first developed, and then the chassis and all other auto units were fitted to it.
• 1945-1950 after the end of World War II for half a decade the company produces several new models. These are 1100B models and 1500D.
• 1950 - launch of production of Fiat 1400. The engine compartment housed a diesel engine.
• 1953 - Model 1100/103 appears, as well as 103TV.
• 1955 - Model 600 introduced, which had a rear-engined layout.
• 1957 - The company's manufacturing facility begins production of the New500.
• 1958 - Production of two small cars under the name Seicentos begins, as well as Cinquecentos, which are available to the general user.
• 1960 - 500th model line expands station wagon.
• The 1960s began with a change of management (Agnelli's grandchildren became directors), which aims to further attract ordinary motorists into the circle of fans of the company. Subcompact 850 begins production, 1800, 1300 and 1500.
• 1966 - became special for Russian motorists. That year, construction began on the Volga Automobile Plant under a contract between the company and the government of the USSR. Thanks to close cooperation, the Russian market has been filled with high-quality Italian cars. According to the project of the 124th model, VAZ 2105, as well as 2106, were developed.
• 1969 - The company acquires the Lancia brand. The Dino model appears, as well as a number of small cars. Increased car sales around the world are helping to expand production capacity. For example, the company is building factories in Brazil, southern Italy and Poland.
• In the 1970s, the company devoted itself to modernizing finished products to make them relevant to the generation of motorists of the time.
• 1978 - Fiat introduces a robotic assembly line to its factories, which begins assembly of the Ritmo model. It was a real breakthrough in innovative technology.
• 1980 - The Geneva Motor Show introduces the Panda demo. ItalDesign studio worked on the design of the car.
• 1983 - the iconic Uno rolls off the assembly line, which still delights some motorists. The car used advanced technologies in terms of on-board electronics, engine devices, interior materials, etc.
• 1985 - The Italian manufacturer introduces the Croma hatchback. The peculiarity of the car was that it was not assembled on its own platform, but for this a platform called Tipo4 was used. The models of the Lancia car manufacturer Thema, Alfa Romeo (164) and SAAB9000 were based on the same design.
• 1986 - the company expands, acquiring the Alfa Romeo brand, which remains a separate division of the Italian concern.
• 1988 - debut of the Tipo hatchback with a 5-door body.
• 1990 - voluminous Fiat Tempra, Tempra Wagon appear and a small van Marengo. These models were also assembled on the same platform, but the distinctive design made it possible to meet the needs of different categories of motorists.
• 1993 - several modifications of the Punto / Sporting subcompact appear, as well as the most powerful GT model (its generation was updated 6 years later).
• 1993 - the end of the year was marked by the release of another powerful Fiat car model - Coupe Turbo, which could compete with the compressor modification of the Mercedes-Benz CLK, as well as the Boxter from Porsche. The car had a top speed of 250 km / h.
• 1994 - Ulysse is presented at the Motor Show. It was a minivan, the engine of which was located across the body, the transmission transmitted torque to the front wheels. The body is "one-volume", in which 8 people were quietly accommodated together with the driver.
• 1995 - Fiat (a model of the Barchetta sports spider), which passed through the Pininfarina design studio, was recognized as the most beautiful convertible in the cabin during the Geneva Motor Show.
• 1996 - as part of the collaboration between Fiat and PSA (like the previous model), two Scudo models appear and Jumpy. They shared a common U64 platform, on which some Citroen and Peugeot Expert models were also created.
• 1996 - the Palio model was introduced, which was originally created for the Brazilian market, and then (in 97th) for Argentina and Poland, and also (in 98th) a station wagon was offered in Europe.
• 1998 - at the beginning of the year, an especially small car of the European class A was presented (on the classification of European and other cars Read here) Seicento. In the same year, production of the electric version of the Elettra begins.
• 1998 - the Fiat Marera Arctic model was introduced to the Russian market. In the same year, motorists were presented with a Multipla minivan model with an extraordinary body design.
• 2000 - The Barchetta Riviera is presented at the Turin Motor Show in a luxury package. In the fall of the same year, the civilian version of Doblo appeared. The version, which was presented in Paris, was a cargo-passenger one.
• 2002 - The Stilo model was presented to the Italian fans of extreme driving (instead of the Brava model).
• 2011 - production of the family crossover Freemont begins, on which engineers from Fiat and Chrysler worked.

In subsequent years, the company again took up the improvement of previous models, releasing new generations. Today, under the leadership of the concern, such world-famous brands as Alfa Romeo and Lancia, as well as a sports division, whose cars bear the Ferrari emblem, work.

And finally, we offer a small review of the Fiat Coupe:

Fiat coupe - the fastest ever

Questions and answers:

Which country produces Fiat? Fiat is an Italian car and commercial vehicle manufacturer with over 100 years of history. The brand's headquarters are located in the Italian city of Turin.

Who Owns Fiat? The brand belongs to the holding company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. In addition to Fiat, the parent company owns Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Lancia, Maserati, Jeep, Ram Trucks.

Who Created Fiat? The company was founded in 1899 by investors including Giovanni Agnelli. In 1902 he became the managing director of the company. During 1919 and 1920, the company was in chaos due to a series of strikes.