The Little Fiat that Could

Anticipation hovers over the crowd at Maranello Fiat’s grand opening celebration. Guests mingle, sip spirits and ogle the new 500s occupying the showroom floor. But it’s not a car this party is waiting for – it’s the man who saved Fiat, who reintroduced the beloved 500 to the world, that’s on their minds. And as he’s ushered through the doors of Fiat’s Canadian flagship dealer, the crowd’s response says it all: Sergio Marchionne has arrived.
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North American Carmaker Resurgence

Now that the worst of the recession is behind us and consumer confidence is looking up, automakers are starting to see a recovery trend in their sales. It was widely assumed that Japanese juggernauts Toyota and Honda would be in a ripe position to capture a large chunk of new car buyers when the economy did its turnaround. These two companies have earned a solid “can do no wrong” reputation that is the envy of the industry, with products that essentially sell themselves. At the same time, the American carmakers were in crisis mode, dealing with survivability before filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Read more