The Italians Are Coming

Meanwhile . . . Fiat is coming back to North America! :-D

Fiat, the Italian carmaker, quit the U.S. market in 1984 when it became apparent that it couldn't compete with the Japanese in the import entry-level car market in the U.S. or Canada. But a deal with Chrysler will soon return the brand to the New World. Fiat is assuming a 35 percent stake of Chrysler and will share platforms and fuel-efficiency technology with the beleaguered Detroit automaker. This not only means we'll see future Dodge models with Italian flair, we'll also see Fiat models in the U.S. and Canada - including the retrograde update of its legendary 500 model (the Italian Beetle), now one of the most popular cars in Europe. Fiat quality will no longer be an oxymoron; its latest models are among the most reliable automobiles in the world.

It seems like we have a renaissance of European car brands in North America after a period of Asian dominance of the import-brand car market here. First the Mini returned, now Volkswagen is building a new plant in Tennessee and adding the Polo to its U.S./Canadian lineup . . . and on the heels of this news comes Fiat's return to these shores. Even more good news is that the Italian firm still plans to bring back the Alfa Romeo brand (which quit the U.S. and Canada in 1995), though that won't happen until 2011.

Who knows, maybe the French will come back! :-D

They're already here, in a sense. Renault owns Nissan, and the Versa suspiciously looks like the Renault Clio.