REPORT: Fiat wins bid for Bertone
2007 Bertone Fiat Barchetta concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
According to the Wall Street Journal, Fiat has beaten out two other finalists and has won the bid for bankrupt design house and small-scale auto manufacturer Carrozzeria Bertone. The Italian Economic Development Ministry said in a statement that Fiat was chosen as the winning buyer due to its proposed three-year 150 million Euro investment into the company and the promise to keep Bertone's 1,137 workers on the job.
Intriguingly, Economic Development Minister Claudio Scajola further said that Bertone's manufacturing unit will be "[integrated] with Chrysler for the production in Italy of some models for the American auto company." The mind reels with the possibilities of Italian-designed and built Chryslers flooding American showrooms – for better or for worse.
Gallery: 2007 Bertone Fiat Barchetta
[Source: Wall Street Journal - Sub. Req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Paul 2:55PM (8/06/2009)
I wonder if Jason Castriota, head designer, was part of the package? He designed Glickenhaus' Ferrari P4/5, the Ferrari 599 GTB, the Maserati Granturismo and Bertone (nee ZR1) Mantidé.
It'd sure make Chrysler products a lot more interesting. Which could make Bertone a lot less so. Whatever the case, Castriota's got the touch.
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Westside T.O. 3:24PM (8/06/2009)
No, Jason works for Stile Bertone....a company which was spun off from the manufacturing unit that Fiat bought!
James 4:21PM (8/06/2009)
Betcha there will be "another" Chrysler TC...this time by Bertone. ;p
sonic the plumber 1:59PM (8/07/2009)
I drive a Bertone-designed vauxhall Astra coupe and they did a wonderful job with a very ordinary base car, so I'm pleased Stile Bertone has survived as a separate entity.
Their Alfa Romeo GT is a modern classic.
Jruhi4 3:02PM (8/06/2009)
"Bertone's manufacturing unit will be [integrated] with Chrysler for the production in Italy of some models for the American auto company."
Does that mean that whatever small runs of Euro-built Chryslers and Jeeps that were being built in Austria by Magna/Steyr will now be built at Bertone in Italy instead?
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KIB2 3:47PM (8/06/2009)
Thats a sharpe little ride.
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steve-o 4:05PM (8/06/2009)
I with they'd bring back the factory LANDAU packages...maybe a special model trimmed out in (rich) Corinthian leather....dubbed the "The Montalbán Special"?
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Rich 8:18PM (8/06/2009)
"Bertone's manufacturing unit will be "[integrated] with Chrysler for the production in Italy of some models for the American auto company." The mind reels with the possibilities of Italian-designed and built Chryslers flooding American showrooms – for better or for worse."
Erm... that's not what he's saying, and it's a highly unlikely inference. In case you didn't know, there's a market for cars in Europe, too.
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johnsonrobert.uk 11:50PM (8/06/2009)
I think its one of best model of Fiat.Thank you for sharing information about Fiat.
http://www.usedcarshowroom.co.uk/
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Cray 12:17AM (8/07/2009)
Before the merger, I had no clue about Fiat. I gotta say I'm liking this company so much better than Daimler. I just love the way Fiat is pushing the envelop of what a Automaker can do. Bertone designs are right up Chrysler's alley.
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henryj11k 3:51AM (8/07/2009)
I just spoke to someone at Bertone..... it seems that only a factory was sold to Fiat. StileBertone is still independant. The mom just bought out the daughter so Mike Robinson is the new design chief. Jason will go begging.......
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John McPherson 7:12AM (8/07/2009)
Didn't I see this design put forth by Bertone for Ford some years back with the same name? Google it, yep, 1980. Gads, 30 years ago. But Ghia.
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hippydippy1968 6:42AM (8/08/2009)
I've spent some time in Europe, and know, have owned, and rented FIAT and Alfa Romeo cars. The technology and quality is very good, the style is fantastic, and If you thought having more small cars in America will be a boring hell, then you've never driven a FIAT.
Forget what your college roomate told you in 1974, most of the problems arose from US safety and emissions regs, dealer issues in the US, and Russian steel which the company unfortunately obtained in a barter deal for a factory there. I myself had a 1978 FIAT 131 Mirafiori that was the most enjoyable economy car you could imagine... still on the road 30 years later, too.
And current FIAT CEO Sergio Marchionne is a genius, if you read what The Economist had to say about what's he's done at the company, you'd understand just how well run FIAT is... the only currently profitable European automaker.
I also rented a small, 4 door FIAT Panda in Greece... it got 40-50mpg on gas, and was a very sporty drive for an econobox. FIAT also makes what we would call a midsize, the Croma... which is like a Taurus, and they produce all matter of trucks right-up-to big rigs.
They invented the now widespread "single rail" diesel technology, and their smallest cars get 70mpg on diesel... who needs hybrids?
Any portrayal of FIAT as a producer of antiquidated, poor quality little cars is nonsense from the uninformed. IMO, they are going to surprise a whole lot of people.
http://fiat2america.blogspot.com
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Scatpackmopar 8:42AM (8/08/2009)
I can see a few cool cars coming out of a combination like this. A replacement for the Chrysler Crossfire and a birth of the Dodge Demon concept. Chrysler had Italian made cars in the past with the Virgil Exner designed Chrysler Ghia's.
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