From its founding in Turin in 1899 to its place inside Stellantis, Fiat built cars that shaped European motoring, won nine European Car of the Year titles and claimed rally championships.
Fiat is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1899 and now a Stellantis brand. Its reputation rests on nine European Car of the Year titles for its models, a World Rally Championship record built with the 131 Abarth, and a manufacturing footprint that spans Europe, Brazil and Mexico.
Fiat is an Italian carmaker whose story begins in Turin in 1899 and continues today inside the Stellantis group. Its cars, engineering and awards have made it a familiar name in European motoring, from the early Italian factories to the rally stages and the modern merger era.
Who founded Fiat and when?
Fiat was founded on 11 July 1899 in Turin as Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino. Giovanni Agnelli was among the founding members, and the first car, a 3 1/2 HP, was produced in 1899. Only 24 copies were built. The engineering staff were recognised for their talent and creativity from the start.
The first plant opened in 1900 with 35 staff producing 24 cars. By 1903 the company was in profit, having built 135 cars, and 1,149 cars had been produced by 1906. Shares were then sold on the Milan stock exchange after the company went public.
One Turin company, over more than a century, put its cars on European roads, its rally stages and its awards lists.
How did Fiat grow in its first decades?
Growth came quickly. By 1910 the company was the largest automotive company in Italy, and that year a plant opened at Poughkeepsie, NY. By 1911 it produced 1,800 automobiles and 400 trucks in Italy, and it had exported its first FIAT to the United States in 1908.
The company also produced its first truck in 1903 and its first aircraft engine in 1908. A FIAT cost $4,000 in the US at first and rose to $6,400 by 1918. Owning a FIAT was then a sign of distinction.
By the early 1920s the company held about 80% of the Italian market. By 1925 it controlled 87% of the Italian car market, and the Lingotto factory it had opened in 1923 used assembly lines that no earlier FIAT plant had used.
Wartime work and the postwar years
During the First World War the factories were devoted to the Allied war effort, producing ambulances, trucks, machine guns, engines and aircraft.
Labour unrest arrived in 1921, when workers seized the plants. Agnelli quit the company in response, and the occupation was ordered ended.
Construction of the Lingotto factory began in 1922, and it opened in 1923 as Europe's largest factory. It was the first FIAT plant to use assembly lines. In 1928 the 509 included insurance in its purchase price.
After Benito Mussolini was overthrown, the Agnelli family was removed from leadership of FIAT. The family was not returned to the company's leadership until 1963, when Gianni Agnelli became general manager.
Who led Fiat over its history?
Fiat has been run by a succession of chairmen and chief executives. Giovanni Agnelli led the company until 1945, and Vittorio Valletta followed from 1946 to 1966. Sergio Marchionne was chief executive from 2004 until 2018, and the latest name on the list is Olivier Francois, from 2021.
- Giovanni Agnelli: 1899 to 1945
- Vittorio Valletta: 1946 to 1966
- Gianni Agnelli: 1966 to 1996
- Paolo Cantarella: 1996 to 2002
- Giuseppe Morchio: 2003 to 2004
- Sergio Marchionne: 2004 to 2018
- Mike Manley: 2018 to 2021
- Olivier Francois: 2021 to the present
Gianni Agnelli, Giovanni's grandson, was general manager from 1963 to 1966 and chairman until 1996. Between 1996 and 2021 the post passed to Paolo Cantarella, Giuseppe Morchio, Sergio Marchionne and Mike Manley, with Marchionne holding it for the longest stretch in that span.
Where are Fiat cars built today?
Italy remains the home base, where six plants built more than 1 million vehicles as of 2002. Brazil is the largest production country outside Italy, and plants in Argentina, Poland and Mexico complete the network. Mexican plants export to the United States, Brazil and Italy.
Brazil, where the brand was market leader for many years, stands out in South America. The first Brazilian car plant opened at Betim in 1973, after tractors had been assembled there. The Brazil range includes the Pulse, Fiorino, Toro, Argo and Mobi, while the Palio, Siena, Palio Weekend and Strada share the Project 178 platform.
In Europe the range has centred on city cars and superminis, which made up 84% of sales in 2011. Larger family cars and executive models are covered by Lancia, Alfa Romeo and Maserati. In the UK, the Punto arrived in March 1994 and the modern 500 followed in January 2008.
The brand returned to North America in 2009, after a 25-year absence, when the FIAT Group took a 20% stake in Chrysler. Its products have also been built under licence in other countries over a long period.
Assembly in South Africa began in 1950, with full production at the Rosslyn plant from 1966. In China, a joint venture with GAC built the Viaggio from 2012.
Which models won European Car of the Year?
Fiat Automobiles models have won nine European Car of the Year titles. The wider FIAT Group has won twelve awards across the last forty years. The list of winners runs from the 124 in 1967 to the 500 in 2008, and the Panda won in 2004.
- 124 (1967)
- 128 (1970)
- 127 (1972)
- Uno (1984)
- Tipo (1989)
- Punto (1995)
- Bravo / Brava (1996)
- Panda (2004)
- 500 (2008)
The 127 and 128 were the biggest sellers in the UK during the 1970s. The Uno later became the company's best-seller in Britain after its arrival in June 1983, and the Punto followed in March 1994.
Motorsport: from rally wins to European titles
Fiat's competition history is largely a rally story. In 1971 Abarth prepared the 124 Sport Spider for World Rally Championship competition. The car recorded two wins in 1972 and one in 1973, and in 1974 it finished first, second and third in the Portuguese TAP Rally.
The 131 Abarth then replaced the 124 as the rally car. Between 1976 and 1981 it won 18 World Rally Championship events, and the programme secured the drivers' title in 1978 and 1980 and the constructors' title in 1977, 1978 and 1980.
Lancia took over the group's motorsport role during the 1980s. The Punto S.1600 took the Italian rally title in 2003, and the Grande Punto S.2000 claimed the FIA European crown in 2006. Successive wins followed in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Did Fiat build electric cars?
Yes. Fiat began electric vehicle development in the mid-1970s with the X1/23 concept. The Phylla concept appeared in 2008, and the Bugster concept was shown in Brazil the same year. The 500e was launched as a compliance car in California in 2013, with no European sales planned.
The company worked with the Brazilian utilities Cemig and Itaipu, with production of the Palio Weekend Electric planned for 2009. In 2014 Sergio Marchionne claimed each 500e sold at a $14,000 loss. In 2016 he challenged Tesla on the Model 3, saying Fiat could copy Tesla's formula within 12 months if the car was profitable.
Emissions were a separate strength. In 2008 Fiat recorded the lowest average CO2 figure among Europe's 10 best-selling car brands, at 133.7 g/km, down from 137.3 g/km in 2007. JATO, a provider of automotive data, corroborated the result.
Taken together, the electric and emissions record shows an early start on electric development, a run of concepts and a compliance car. The 2014 and 2016 remarks by Sergio Marchionne show how the company judged the economics of those cars.
When did Fiat become part of Stellantis?
Fiat became part of Stellantis in 2021, when FCA merged with the French PSA Group and the combined business took the Stellantis name. The earlier Chrysler merger had taken effect on 12 October 2014, after shareholders approved it on 1 August 2014.
The car arm, Fiat Automobiles, dates from January 2007, when the FIAT Group restructured its motor business. The Chrysler merger was announced on 29 January 2014. After 2021 Fiat became a Stellantis subsidiary, sitting alongside Lancia, Alfa Romeo and Maserati.
How did Fiat's European share change?
Fiat's share of the European market fell from 9.4% in 2000 to 5.8% by 2004. Sergio Marchionne was appointed chief executive in 2004, and the share had recovered to 9.1% by March 2009. He cut the chain of command from nine links to five.
Marchionne also changed the labour relationship. He left Confindustria and Federmeccanica and opened separate talks with unions, starting from the Pomigliano plant. Sales in 2011 reached 676,704, down 17.3% on the previous year.
How did the logo and marketing evolve?
The Fiat initials first appeared in logo form in 1901. A single red shield without a wreath was used from 1931, and in 1968 a rhomboid design with the initials on four interconnected rhombuses was introduced. The wreath returned in 1999 for the 100th anniversary.
The rhomboid was phased in during the early 1970s, while the wreath was kept for sport models. From 1983 the Uno's nose carried five chrome bars at 18 degrees.
Marketing also took a retail turn. The Motor Village concept opened at Mirafiori in 2006, followed by a London site in 2008 and a Paris site in 2010. In 2009 the British School of Motoring signed a deal covering 14,000 cars over four years.
Key dates in Fiat's history
- 11 July 1899: the company is founded, with Giovanni Agnelli among the founders.
- 1900: the first plant opens with 35 staff.
- 1910: Fiat becomes the largest automotive company in Italy.
- 1923: the Lingotto factory opens as Europe's largest.
- 1943: the Agnelli family is removed from leadership after Mussolini is overthrown.
- 1963: Gianni Agnelli returns the family to the company's management.
- 1968: the rhomboid logo is introduced.
- 1999: the wreath logo returns for the 100th anniversary.
- January 2007: Fiat Automobiles is formed.
- 12 October 2014: the Chrysler merger takes effect.
- 2021: FCA merges with PSA Group and Fiat joins Stellantis.
The dates above frame the company's major phases: early growth before 1910, the labour unrest of 1921 and the wartime period, the Agnelli return in 1963, and the merger era that began in 2014.
Key Fiat figures
The table gathers the headline figures for the marque, with the year of each figure shown where it applies.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Founded | 11 July 1899 |
| First car | 3 1/2 HP; 24 copies built |
| Peak Italian output | 1.4 million cars (1970) |
| Employees in Italy | More than 100,000 (1970) |
| Italian plants | Six plants; more than 1 million vehicles (2002) |
| Car sales | 676,704 in 2011, down 17.3% |
| Average CO2 | 133.7 g/km in 2008 (137.3 g/km in 2007) |
| European Car of the Year | Nine awards for FIAT Automobiles models |
| Engine range (2018) | 11 units: 8 petrol, 3 diesel |
| FCA merger | Effective 12 October 2014 |
| Parent group | Stellantis, from 2021 |
The 2011 sales total of 676,704 can be read against the 1.4 million cars made in Italy in 1970, the two dated production and sales figures in the table.
Frequently asked questions
When did Fiat leave the US car market?
Fiat left the US car market in 1983. US sales had reached 100,511 cars in 1975 and fell to 14,113 by 1982. The brand came back to North America in 2009 following a 25-year gap.
Who owns Fiat today?
Fiat has sat within Stellantis since 2021, the year FCA and PSA combined. Before that the business was part of FCA, which followed the Chrysler merger effective 12 October 2014.
How did Fiat's CO2 figures compare in Europe?
Fiat's 2008 average was the lowest among Europe's 10 best-selling brands, measuring 133.7 g/km against 137.3 g/km the year before. JATO, a provider of automotive data, confirmed the figures.
What was the 131 Abarth's rally record?
Between 1976 and 1981, the 131 Abarth took 18 World Rally Championship wins. The programme also secured the WRC Drivers' Championship in 1978 and 1980, and the Constructors' Championship in 1977, 1978 and 1980.
