About Fiat
The Fiat car company of Italy has had a long and at times chequered history and came about when Giovanni Agnelli founded Fiat in 1899 with several investors; he led the company until his death in 1945. The company was responsible for the manufacture of cars, and other motor vehicles, locomotives, engines, aircraft and tanks. The company is Italy’s largest car maker and ranks at about number 9 in the world. Although it is best known for car manufacture, it has over the time since it was founded, diversified into many other fields, and the group now has activities in a wide range of sectors in industry and financial services and is Italy’s largest concern.
Many of the historic motor cars manufactured by Fiat have become legends in their own right; the Topolino or “little mouse” was perhaps the first city car and was certainly the smallest. It was successful for the company from 1936, production ending in 1955, although it had had a few face lifts in the intervening years. The Fiat 600 succeeded this, which was to become the design basis for many small cars from Fiat that were to follow. These include the Fiat 500, the Panda and the New Topolino. Fiat has in the course of its History made engines that were ahead of their time and also acquired other car makers with famous names such as Ducato, Ferrari, Maserati, Lancia, and Alfa Romeo, so naturally motor sports links have played a big part in their history.
The current range of cars now available covers a wide spectrum, from economical small city cars, through MPV to the more luxurious saloons. The 500 is described as being a cute little car, but do not be fooled by its looks, it is cheap to run and is available in a “peeled back” roof version. The Panda is a versatile city car that can be bought as a diesel with the renowned 1.3 litre 16-valve MultiJet engine, the smallest turbodiesel in the world. The Bravo is a fully equipped hatchback with engine options including diesel versions. The Punto is a 3 or 5 door hatchback and is a sporty car which has undoubted appeal to the young family owner, offering a great choice of spec including the 1.3 MultiJet diesel. Fiat has introduced two people carriers in the form of the Multipla MPV which has won a host of awards for its practicality, comfortably seating six adults. Even bigger is the Doblo, which is the UK’s cheapest 7 seat adult carrying vehicle.
The sheer output and low cost of Fiat cars means that there is an unusually good supply of used vehicles on the market and it is possible to find a Fiat that will not break the bank and one that is remarkably cheap to run.