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PORTRAIT OF A STRUGGLING INDUSTRY |
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Fiat Abarth 500 |
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 Fiat
and Ford are collaborating in the joint-development and
production of European small - sub B segment - cars that will
become manifest as the new Fiat 500 and a replacement for the
Ka.
The project will deliver "two highly differentiated vehicles -
small cars with exterior and interior design that are true to
the individual parents' brand identities", and will be
significant in each partner's product range.
They reason that combining their experience in developing
successful small cars in Europe will render substantially lower
development costs and also economies of scale in manufacturing
and component sourcing. Better value and increased quality for
customers will result, while the brand characteristics of each
vehicle are retained.
 The
new models are being developed from the current Fiat Panda
platform, and will have Fiat power trains built in Poland and
Italy. These cars are to be manufactured at the existing Fiat
plant at Tychy, Poland, where Ford engineers will contribute to
the development of their variants.
"The strategic cooperative agreement with Ford represents
another milestone in our strategy that calls for targeted
alliances aimed at sharing financial and industrial resources on
new products and platforms," said Sergio Marchionne, Fiat Group
and Fiat Auto CEO. "It is consistent with successful ventures
established with major partners, including PSA Peugeot Citroën
and Suzuki, and current discussions with the Indian group Tata
Motors."
 Marchionne
added: "As far as Fiat is concerned, the partnership with Ford
is relevant fourfold. The decision to manufacture the new cars
at Tychy is a clear vote of confidence and trust in our Polish
plant. The joint development of the new cars bears witness to
the flexibility of the highly successful Fiat Panda platform;
and the alliance represents a win-win industrial opportunity for
both parties. Finally, I am pleased to say that the long awaited
future Fiat 500 will further enhance our brand identity as it
represents both an icon in the history of our company, and of
the motor industry."
 "We
fully intend to replace the Ka with a similarly iconic model,"
said Ford of Europe President and CEO John Fleming. "Fiat is the
ideal partner for us in this particular project, as they are
acknowledged as having been one of the world's leading
manufacturers of small cars for many years. The decision to
combine forces with Fiat in this highly competitive area gives
us the opportunity to minimise unit costs, while developing
highly competitive products which will be true to our respective
brand values."
The new vehicles will go on sale in 2007-08, with a projected
annual volume of 240,000 to be divided equally between the two
partners.
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