Fiat whose company. History of the Fiat brand. Land Rover

On July 11, 1899, a new company was registered in Palazzo Bricherasio - “Società Anonima Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino”. The first factory of the company was opened already in 1900 in Corso Dante. The company employed 150 people who assembled 24 cars of the 3/12 HP model, which has one distinctive feature - the cars did not have a reverse gear.

In 1902, the custom-built Fiat 24 HP, driven by Vincenzo Lancia, won the Sassi-Superga hill climb competition.

Managing Director Giovanni Agnelli personally took part in the Second Tour of Italy and set the record on the 8 HP.

In 1908, Fiat settled in the United States, where it created a subsidiary company Fiat Automobile Co.

The range of products is expanding: in addition to passenger cars v production program companies are now present commercial vehicles, marine engines, trucks and trams.

For several years, Fiat has completely renewed its products: for the first time, batteries appeared on the company's cars. The introduction of the transmission with cardan joints, patented by FIAT, began.

Fiat racing cars continued to win various competitions and set several records.

In 1916, construction began on the Lingotto plant, led by Giacomo Mattè Trucco. The plant has become the largest in Europe. The huge building had 5 floors, and on the roof there was a track for testing cars. The construction of the plant was completed in 1922. Once commissioned, it became a symbol of the Italian automotive industry.

At the beginning of the war, the company's products were almost completely reoriented to military needs.

After the war, it took several years to return production to a peaceful course and overcome the crisis, but already in 1923, growth resumed thanks, first of all, to a competent tax policy.

The 509, the company's first 4-seater car, went into production.

The main activity of the company was the mass production of cars. Only mass production made it possible to significantly reduce the final cost of the product. The Sava Holding was formed to promote car sales.

In 1934 and 1936, two models were born that found the strongest response among buyers: “Balilla”, nicknamed “Tariffa minima” for its economy.

And the smallest utilitarian car in the world - "Topolino", held out on the assembly line until 1955.

The war led to a significant decrease in the production of passenger cars, but at the same time, the production of commercial vehicles increased significantly. Having released two new models - 500

and 1400 - Fiat reaffirmed its commitment to research and innovation.

For the first time on mass cars, ventilation and interior heating systems were installed.

Research continued in the field marine engines and also in the field of aircraft construction: in 1951, the G80 appeared - the first jet aircraft created in Italy.

In 1955, the Fiat 600 was born - a large utility car with a rear-engined layout.

And in 1957, the New 500 began to roll off the assembly lines. In 1960, this model appeared in the 'Giardinetta' version, which became the predecessor of the company's cars with station wagons.

In addition, the Fiat 1800 appeared during these years, followed by the Fiat 1300 and the Fiat 1500.

In 1971, after the Fiat 850,

… The 127 appeared.

In 1979, the independent company Fiat Auto S.p.A. appeared, which included the following brands: Fiat, Lancia, Autobianchi, Abarth and Ferrari. At first, the company owned only 50% of Ferrari. Later, this share increased to 87%. In 1984, the company also acquired the Alfa Romeo brand, and in 1993, the prestigious sports car brand Maserati.

In 1980, the Fiat Panda, developed by the Giugiaro design studio, was released.

And two years later, the Fiat Uno appeared. The car has been applied the most advanced technology, innovative electronics, the latest materials and environmentally friendly 1000 Fire engines.

Another successful model - Tipo - appeared in 1989. For the advanced technical solutions applied in it, it was awarded the title “Car of the year”.

The Fiat Tempra debuted in 1990

A year later, in 1991, the 500 appeared.

In 1993 it was the turn of the Fiat Punto (he received the title “Car of the Year 1995”) and the Fiat Coupé. Its design was developed by Pininfarina in collaboration with Centro Stile Fiat.

With Fiat Ulysse, launched in 1994, the company entered one of the fastest growing market segments - the minivan segment.

In 1995, the Barchetta, Bravo and Brava models debuted.

The following year they were joined by Fiat Marea and Fiat Marea WE, and in 1997 by Fiat Palio.

1998 was marked by the appearance of the wonderful city car Fiat Seicento,

And also the Multipla model, which was distinguished by its exceptional versatility.

Two years later, the Fiat Doblò was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, a modern versatile vehicle that also had a commercial version.

In addition, at the company's plant in Brazil, the production of three "worldwide" models began at once: Palio, Palio Weekend and Siena.

In 2001, the production of the Fiat Stilo began, featuring a modern design, cutting-edge technology and a host of luxury options.

2003 was a tragic year for the company - Giovanni Agnelli, who headed it for almost half a century, died.

In the same year (ten years after the debut of the model), a new Punto appeared with an innovative 1.3 Multijet 16v engine, as well as a seriously updated Barchetta.

Fiat Idea was not only the first MPV to be created by Fiat, but also the first to bear the new circular emblem that was created at Fiat's Centro Stile to commemorate the company's 100th anniversary.

In 2005, production began on the new Croma, designed by Giugiaro, the new Fiat 600 (in the year of the 60th anniversary of the launch of the original model) and the beautiful, solid and exhilarating Grande Punto.

2006 saw the release of the new Doblò and Sedici, the 4x4x TUTTI urban crossover official car 2006 Winter Olympics.

There was also an updated Panda 2007 model year with an extended range of modifications.

2007 kicked off with the launch of the new Bravo, the first to carry a redesigned Fiat emblem.

The new Bravo and the new logo are a confirmation of the new direction of the company's development.

In the same year, the Fiat 500 was reincarnated. light hand Designers, the car has changed: the classic forms have received a new interpretation.

In 2011, the FIAT Freemont crossover was released - the result of a collaboration between Chrysler and Fiat engineers. The car is a balanced family car with modern European design and a high level of comfort.

Cars from Italy are valued in Russia primarily for their elegance and practicality. Italian roots are clearly visible in the largest Russian manufacturer AvtoVAZ. Togliatti VAZ-2101 is actually well-known in Italy.

In this article, we will consider the issues of Russian-assembled Fiat models and recall a little the history of the brand. How good and popular are Fiats in Russia? What cars from Italy are assembled in the Russian Federation? We will also analyze the main advantages and disadvantages.

Fiat and associations

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear Fiat? The musical sound immediately says that the country of origin of Fiat is Italy. In fact, the history of this famous company is closely related to the history of Russia. Something has always drawn Italian manufacturers to the Russian open spaces. And it's not for nothing that VAZ is a pure Italian.

It’s surprising that Fiat didn’t stay with us in the following time. Yes, there was a collaboration with Sollers. But it did not last and did not grow into something more. Already in 2011, the cooperation, which lasted for 5 years, ceased. During this time, the production of "local" "Fiat Albea", "Fiat Doblo" and "Fiat Ducato" was established. The process of making cars was reduced to assembling ready-made units imported from abroad. At the same time, cars of our assembly sold well and were very popular.

Italian manufacturers Fiat are not discouraged and boldly build prospects for cooperation. Most often, in their ambitious proposals, the figures for the production of cars of about 500 thousand per year are also heard at the newly built plant.

A bit of history

The history of the company began in 1899 in the city of Torino, in northern Italy. In the first car from Fiat, the driver sat in the back and the passengers in front. Management was carried out using levers. Wheel appeared later. Since 1911 the company has been trying itself in production racing cars... The successful release of the S76 made it possible to continue and develop this direction.

The desire to develop and experiment led Fiat to create a huge empire. Today Fiat is a manufacturer not only of cars of all types and purposes, but also of aircraft, trains and engines for ships of different displacement and purpose.

And then, back in the last century, the company undertook any undertakings. During the war, Fiat mastered the production of aircraft, tanks and armored vehicles. Since the late 60s, Fiat has become a corporation, which includes Ferrari, Lancia, Alfa Romeo and Maserati.

In 1999 Fiat celebrated its centenary. Today, the global concern for the production of technology can hardly be called decrepit. More than a century of constant development has tempered Fiat and given a good boost. New concepts are constantly being designed and put into operation modern cars... More than 130 of our own research centers around the world are actively helping.

Main production facilities

In today's reality, the size of the Fiat corporation is impressive. More than 1000 companies in 61 countries around the world are under a common wing. The number of Fiat employees is about 220 thousand, of which half work outside the borders of Italy. In percentage terms, about 46% of all production facilities are located outside the homeland.

Fiat has its own factories in Brazil, Argentina and Poland. At the same time, the Brazilian production site is the largest. At maximum load, the car plant is capable of delivering 3000 cars a day! The country of origin "Fiat" is not only Italy. There are many joint ventures in France, Egypt, South Africa, Turkey, China and India. Cooperation is structured differently everywhere. Somewhere, as it was in Russia, there is only assembly from units imported from Italy, and somewhere in one plant both Fiat and local equipment can be assembled.

The concern plans to expand even further to the markets of Africa, Europe and America. After all, the main concept was and remains, so that as many people as possible join the most advanced technologies thanks to Fiat cars.

Fiat lineup

The production of Russian Fiats was discontinued in 2011. Since then, new Doblo, Albea and Ducato cannot be bought. How can Fiat make Russians happy today? In 2016, the model range of the automaker is limited to only 3 cars:

Punto;
FullBack.

The 500th Fiat, whose manufacturer is its native Italy, is a neat and compact hatchback. The car can have either a 1.2-liter petrol powertrain, a 0.9-liter turbocharged engine, or a 1.3-liter diesel.

The Punto is a humble hatchback that also has a choice of two powertrains with 1.4 liters but different power. As for, there are two gearbox options: classic mechanics and robotic automatic.

FullBack is a clone of a Japanese car The four-wheel drive car, produced at a production site in Thailand, perfectly complements Fiat's line of vehicles. But for this car, to the question: "Fullback Fiat" - what country of manufacture does it have? "- you can answer: not Italy.

For those who have no restrictions on the boundaries of residence, Fiat offers a much larger range. Among them, the cute Fiat Panda stands out, which has an all-wheel drive version. In addition, Fiat such as Mobi, Uno, Palio, Linea, Ottimo, Viaggio and Freemont can be purchased.

Russian assemblies "Fiat"

Despite the fact that today there are no joint productions with Fiat, there are cars that deserve special attention. These are our beloved Albea, Doblo and Ducato. Cooperation with the Sollers company was not in vain. The Ducato has been the most popular vehicle in its class for several years.

Despite the active and successful sales of Russian Ducato and Doblo, there was a lot of criticism towards our assembly. Somewhere they noticed gaps larger than the size provided by the factory, somewhere defective products in the car. At the same time, criticism did not prevent cars from becoming popular. Fiat Ducato, the manufacturer of which is a plant in Yelabuga, simply had no competitors in its time.

Fiat Doblo

This model was produced in Naberezhnye Chelny when Fiat was actively cooperating with Sollers. When developing this model, the designers took the Fiat Cargo as a basis. The resulting compact car immediately found its connoisseurs. I liked him in Russia too. Fiat Doblo's manufacturers offered several modifications, which included passenger, cargo-passenger and pure cargo options.

The car had a 1.4-liter power unit, 77 "horses" and was equipped with a 5-speed gearbox. Fiat Doblo has a manufacturer-country like Russia. Why "like"? Because we only assembled the main units, which, in turn, were manufactured at the Fiat subsidiary in Turkey.

Fiat Albea

It was with "Albea" that the production of "Russian Italians" began. The first car was released at the plant in Naberezhnye Chelny in 2007. It was a classic sedan of the simplest appearance. As power unit there was a 1.4-liter engine. Since 2011, the car has ceased to be produced due to obsolescence.

Many car enthusiasts disliked the weak and non-dynamic engine, as well as the simple exterior and interior design. Yes it was budget car, but time makes its own demands. For the same money, competitors are already developing more modern bodies and "stuffing" them with all kinds of technical innovations.

The country of origin "Fiat Albea" is Russia, so the car had positive aspects:

spacious salon;
comfortable seats;
spacious luggage compartment;
good ground clearance;
economical fuel consumption;
budget cost.

Fiat Ducato Rus

At one time, the Ducato was the most popular car in its class. The Russian version from Sollers was armed only with a turbocharged diesel engine with 2.3 liters in volume and a manual transmission. 244 car body became the Russian designation. Just like in its time in Europe, "Ducato" was produced in several versions: purely cargo and cargo-passenger. At the same time, there were elongated bodies.

Convenient and practical "Fiat Ducato", the country of origin of which is Russia, possessed good dynamism and a comfortable interior of a foreign car. Among the shortcomings, it is worth noting some confusion in the selection of spare parts. But at first this problem existed for all. Catalogs of spare parts simply did not have time to finalize.

Updated and modern Ducato

Among commercial vehicles, Ducato has always been renowned for its versatility and convenience when affordable prices... The sixth generation Ducato is no exception. Italian engineers have combined the incompatible. Commercial cargo transport can be easily and simply combined with a comfortable and technically equipped passenger car. Several modifications of the new Ducato allow solving a wide range of business problems. The most "strong" version of the car can lift up to 4 tons of payload.

What exactly is new in the Fiat Ducato? According to Italian developers, the bodywork and doors have been reinforced in the car. The suspension, brakes and clutch have also been reinforced and redesigned for a more durable performance. Among the know-how, modern paintwork white color, as well as a redesigned turbine, which allows you to accelerate the car even faster with less fuel consumption. The 6th generation Ducato consumes only 7.3 liters of fuel per 100 km.

Fiat is famous not only for its cars. Among the products of the concern are many agricultural machinery and equipment, as well as a line for the production of spare parts magneti marelli.

Among the historical facts that may be interesting are the following:

Fiat had the first heating and ventilation system;
the first SUV is also Fiat - Campagnola;
famous injection system Common rail developed by Fiat and Bosch;
Fiat Sedici and Japanese are made on the same basis and at the same plant.

There is information that, despite the use of advanced technologies and exquisite design, the Fiat company has flaws in quality. Because of this, the name "Fiat" is translated by the English-speaking inhabitant as "Fix it again, Tony". German motorists have their own translation: "Defects in every node". Therefore, the statement: "The country of origin" Fiat "- Italy" - does not always speak about the quality of the products.

Conclusion

The cars of the world concern Fiat are not the most popular. You will not find them in various TOPs of sales. At the same time, the company is actively developing and has more than a century of history.

The company "Fiat" today is a huge concern that produces a wide range of equipment for construction, agriculture, freight and passenger transportation, as well as cars for road and sports. It was founded in 1899 by a group of businessmen, however original name was not so short - “Societa Anonima Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino”. In the first years of its existence, the company was engaged in the assembly of Renault cars, but already in 1903 it began to rapidly expand the scope of its activities, and it first took on trucks, and then passenger buses... In addition, the abolished duties on the import of steel from abroad allowed it to even take on the production of ship and aircraft engines.

Fiat passenger cars were originally produced in small numbers as prestigious and expensive cars... However, due to their high quality and regular victories in various auto races, they were sold very widely. One of the most impressive victories of the time was won by the Fiat S61 at the 1911 French Grand Prix. It is worth noting that the engine of this model had an incredible volume of 10.5 liters.

In 1912, the development of high-volume Fiat passenger cars began. The owners of the company wanted to launch on the market not only high-quality, but also original cars that would stand out against the background of any tricks of competitors. In order to have a wide range of bodies for their products, they enter into contracts with a number of body shops - "Zagato", "Locati & Toretta" and "Touring". In 1916, construction began on the Lingotto plant, which lasted 6 years. This production complex became the largest existing in Europe, and was designed to provide conveyor production passenger cars.

The first model to gain widespread acceptance was the Fiat Balilla, released by the concern in 1932. It had a very low fuel consumption and low cost, which made it widely available. 4 years later, the Fiat Topolino was released, compact and even cheaper, repeating the success of the previous one.

During World War II, air strikes destroyed most of the company's production facilities, and the rest were nationalized. In the conditions of the post-war shortage, the management of "Fiat" made the right bet on the production of cheap and economical passenger cars, releasing updated models one after another. In 1950, the first Fiat 1400 diesel car was produced.

In 1966, Fiat entered into an agreement with the Soviet Union, and the Volzhsky Automobile Plant was built in Togliatti, which initially produced Fiat models under its own name. So, the well-known "kopeck", or VAZ-2101, is practically identical to the Fiat-124 released in 1967.

In 1969 Fiat bought out Lancia from the owners. The subsequent years of the oil crisis did not lead the company to collapse, but only forced it to focus on increasing production efficiency and controlling product quality and profitability.

In 1980, the Fiat Panda was introduced, designed by the famous Giorgetto Giugiaro. The car was very inexpensive, but it was different. high quality and easy repair in case of breakdown, making it a bestseller in Europe. Panda cars can be seen on the streets of Europe even today. Equally popular was the Fiat Uno, released three years later and bringing together quite a few updates to the electronics, engine components and other aspects.

In 1986, "Alfa Romeo" comes under the control of the concern "Fiat" after the purchase of a controlling stake in this company.

The new best-selling Fiat, the Punto hatchback, was released in 1993. It was produced in several variations - covered with 3, 5 doors, convertible and the Gran Turismo modification, which had the maximum configuration.

In 2003, the new Fiat Punto appeared, equipped with the innovative 1.3 Multijet 16v engine, and the Barchetta was also updated.

In autumn, the new Fiat Panda was released and received the title "Car of the Year 2004".

In 2004, the Fiat Idea went on sale, becoming the first all-rounder for Fiat and the first car to be entrusted with promoting the brand's new mission. This car has received a unique design.

In 2006, Fiat changes its logo again. It was developed in collaboration with Robilant Associati and the Fiat Style Center.

Today the concern produces equipment for industry and civil needs, and is one of the largest car manufacturers.

In 2007, a presentation of the new Fiat 500 model was held in the city of Turin. The date of the premiere was not chosen by chance, because it was on July 4 fifty years ago that a new machine of the same name was launched into the production of this company, with which the formation of a new generation is associated. The novelty, in fact, was a modernized and improved version of the Fiat Panda. The Fiat 500 was equipped with two powerful gasoline engines of various volumes (from 1.2 to 1.4 liters) with a capacity of up to 100 horsepower. All units operate on a six-speed or five-speed gearbox. Environmentalists should be delighted with this vehicle, because its engines are fully compliant with Euro-5 standards.

In 2015, Fiat Bravo ceased to exist, as the demand for it in our region fell sharply. Despite this, in South America, the modernized roomy hatchback "Bravo" is being sold very successfully. This model is the closest "relative" of the Centro Stile Fiat, released back in 2007. Only now the model received new bumpers, wheels, a convenient touchscreen display, wheels and a comfortable steering wheel.

In Brazil, the Fiat Bravo, which was unveiled in January 2015, will be only an intermediate version before Fiat-Chrysler's launch in 2016. It is worth noting that more than a billion dollars have already been invested in the project of the latter, part of which will go to expand the capabilities of the largest plant of this brand, Minas Gerais.

Every year the concern bought bankrupt companies and today under its "roof" are not only the automobile firms FERRARI, ALFA ROMEO and LANCIA, but also a couple of factories specializing in the production of specialized equipment, namely tractors.

In 1902, the custom-built Fiat 24 HP, driven by Vincenzo Lancia, won the Sassi-Superga hill climb competition.

Managing Director Giovanni Agnelli personally took part in the Second Tour of Italy and set the record on the 8 HP.

In 1908, Fiat settled in the United States, where it created a subsidiary company Fiat Automobile Co.

The range of products is expanding: in addition to passenger cars, the company's production program now includes commercial vehicles, marine engines, trucks and trams.