F iat puts an end to the production of the small car Punto. On August 11, she is hired. Noteworthy is the fact that this car receives no successor. For years the Punto was the heart of the model range of Fiat , once held first place in the European registration statistics before the Volkswagen Golf. The current model, released in 2005 as the Grande Punto, made a decisive contribution to the rescue of the Fiat Group from a deep crisis.
The history of the Punto now shows that the original business model of Fiat has come to an end. It was the specialty of the Italians to offer small cars at reasonable prices and thus to achieve large quantities. But in the market segment cheaper small car can not earn money anymore. Recently, in Italy, at the drastically reduced price of the Punto, there was a more modern and better equipped Ford Ka + from Indian production.
The promises are not worth much
In Italy, Fiat will in future only produce the smallest model Panda, whose end is also foreseeable, next to the Crossover 500X as the only Fiat with premium price. The remaining Fiat models are made in Poland, Serbia and Turkey. Even their future is open. Because the Fiat Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne At the recent analysts’ conference, the historic private label was not even worth a strategy presentation. Marchionne now promotes growth for Alfa Romeo: by 2022 seven new models and a production of 400,000 cars in the Italian Fiat factories.
That sounds familiar, it’s what was promised four years ago for 2018 and never been respected. But for Marchionne’s success bonuses is not relevant, whether he can develop attractive models for the community of Alfisti. Important are short-term profits and debt reduction. The development of new cars has therefore been postponed. And now the promises are worth even less, because Marchionne is going next year.