Fortune Magazine talk to Luca De Meo, Fiat Auto head, and Sergio Marchionne, CEO of the Fiat Group, about the Fiat revival.
There’s no magic bullet. Just a focus on design, product, efficiency and quality while retaining “Fiat character”. It seems the real achievement was blasting through layers of corporate and industry bureaucracy to get it done.
“He has flushed out the management, lubricated the design process, revved up production, fine-tuned union relations, and begun to bang out the dents in a badly damaged brand.”
Would this have happened under GM control? Look at what’s happening at Saab, heck look at GM itself, & I doubt it. While De Meo & Marchionne have done a brilliant job perhaps GM saved Fiat. It bailed out leaving Fiat a bundle of cash and the freedom to save itself.
A car company can make a turn around: Look at Fiat - May 14, 2007
Yes, a car company can be fixed. Look at Fiat
UPDATE 12–05–2007:
Just after posting found this news on the Fiat China deal:
Marchionne pulls no punches as Fiat plans to Chery-pick a new Chinese partner - www.just-auto.com
"I'm not going to China to look at the tourist attractions," said a clearly frustrated Marchionne”
