04-21-2003, 04:10 AM
Fiat to face-lift most cars by 2004
By Luca Ciferri
Automotive News Europe / April 20, 2003
Fiat Auto revisions
2003
Alfa Romeo GTV Coupe, Spider May
Fiat Punto June
Alfa Romeo 156 September
Alfa Romeo 166 November
2004
Fiat Stilo June
Fiat Multipla June
Fiat Palio family From mid-year
Alfa Romeo 147 July
Source: Fiat Auto
Fiat Auto will face-lift all models it does not intend to replace over the next two years.
The strategy affecting nine models over the coming 15 months reverses Fiat's 15-year policy of not having mid-cycle revisions for its models.
Like other European automakers, Fiat once face-lifted products half way through their life cycles. The strategy was canceled by Paolo Cantarella, who became Fiat Auto CEO in 1990. Cantarella later became head of Fiat SpA.
But with Cantarella gone, along with his top car lieutentant Roberto Testore, Fiat Auto's new CEO Giancarlo Boschetti decided mid-cycle revisions are needed to boost the group's flagging sales performance. The first revamped cars are beginning to appear.
The entire Alfa Romeo range will be revamped by July 2004. The first models are the GTV Coupe and Spider, which were unveiled at the Geneva show in March and will go on sale in May. The Alfa 156 face-lift will debut in September, followed by the 166 in November, and the 147 in July 2004.
The Fiat brand will face-lift the Punto in June, followed a year later by the Stilo and Multipla. The new Gingo will arrive in September, replacing the Panda, which will be phased out in July, and the Seicento, which will expire in summer 2004.
There is one exception. Lancia flagship Thesis won't get a face-lift. Thesis sales have been much lower than first forecast.
But Lancia will launch three new models in the coming 30 months - the Ypsilon in June, a version of the Fiat Idea in November 2004, and the brand's interpretation of the Fiat "Large" car a year after that.
Cantarella was convinced investing in face-lifts was not worthwhile. He preferred to instead have greater differentiation of new vehicles that shared platforms.
Fiat's last mid-cycle changes were the Lancia Thema, new in 1984 and revised in 1998, and the Fiat Uno, launched in 1983 and revamped in 1989.
By Luca Ciferri
Automotive News Europe / April 20, 2003
Fiat Auto revisions
2003
Alfa Romeo GTV Coupe, Spider May
Fiat Punto June
Alfa Romeo 156 September
Alfa Romeo 166 November
2004
Fiat Stilo June
Fiat Multipla June
Fiat Palio family From mid-year
Alfa Romeo 147 July
Source: Fiat Auto
Fiat Auto will face-lift all models it does not intend to replace over the next two years.
The strategy affecting nine models over the coming 15 months reverses Fiat's 15-year policy of not having mid-cycle revisions for its models.
Like other European automakers, Fiat once face-lifted products half way through their life cycles. The strategy was canceled by Paolo Cantarella, who became Fiat Auto CEO in 1990. Cantarella later became head of Fiat SpA.
But with Cantarella gone, along with his top car lieutentant Roberto Testore, Fiat Auto's new CEO Giancarlo Boschetti decided mid-cycle revisions are needed to boost the group's flagging sales performance. The first revamped cars are beginning to appear.
The entire Alfa Romeo range will be revamped by July 2004. The first models are the GTV Coupe and Spider, which were unveiled at the Geneva show in March and will go on sale in May. The Alfa 156 face-lift will debut in September, followed by the 166 in November, and the 147 in July 2004.
The Fiat brand will face-lift the Punto in June, followed a year later by the Stilo and Multipla. The new Gingo will arrive in September, replacing the Panda, which will be phased out in July, and the Seicento, which will expire in summer 2004.
There is one exception. Lancia flagship Thesis won't get a face-lift. Thesis sales have been much lower than first forecast.
But Lancia will launch three new models in the coming 30 months - the Ypsilon in June, a version of the Fiat Idea in November 2004, and the brand's interpretation of the Fiat "Large" car a year after that.
Cantarella was convinced investing in face-lifts was not worthwhile. He preferred to instead have greater differentiation of new vehicles that shared platforms.
Fiat's last mid-cycle changes were the Lancia Thema, new in 1984 and revised in 1998, and the Fiat Uno, launched in 1983 and revamped in 1989.
Aussi vite que possible, aussi lentement que nécessaire...
