Fiat was founded in Italy in 1899, as a group of entrepreneurs led by Giovanni Agnelli sought to create one of the country’s first car companies. An acronym for Fabbrica Italiana di Avtomobili Torino, F.I.A.T. or Fiat went through many changes throughout its existence, and is currently a division of Stellantis.
In North America, Fiat vehicles are now sold alongside those from the Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram brands. However, Fiat’s biggest markets aren’t the United States or Canada, but Brazil, Italy, Turkey and Algeria, according to Stellantis’ 2024 sales reports. It’s obviously the number one brand in its home market of Italy.
Fiat Current Vehicle Lineup
The brand currently sells only one model in the U.S. and Canada, and that’s the Fiat 500e fully electric city car. During the 2010s, it offered the gas-powered Fiat 500, the Fiat 500L compact wagon, the Fiat 500X subcompact crossover and the Fiat 124 Spider roadster.
Fiat History
A year after its foundation, Fiat started building cars at its newly established factory. Production started with 24 cars in 1900, and increased to 1,150 units by 1906. The first car was called the 3½ CV or 4 HP, while the brand manufactured its first truck in 1903. The Fiat 4 HP was succeeded by the 6 HP, 8 HP, 10 HP, 12 HP, 16 HP, 20 HP, 24 HP, 32 HP and 60 HP models through 1910. Fiat also sold the Brevetti after acquiring automaker Ansaldi in 1905, while the Fiat 1 Fiacre was offered from 1908 to 1910 to serve as taxis.
Early on, Fiats were also used in racing competitions, such as the 1900 Fiat 6 HP Corsa driven by Vincenzo Lancia who went on to found Italian car company Lancia in 1906. In 1908, the Fiat S61 Corsa was introduced with North American racing in mind, and the car finished third in the first-ever Indianapolis 500 race in 1911 while placing second in the 1912 event. The S61 Corsa won the 1912 American Grand Prix. Only five S61 units were built.
Business expanded rapidly, as Fiat started exporting vehicles in the United States in 1908 and built a new assembly plant in New York in 1910. By that time, it was Italy’s biggest car company. As was the case with many automakers, Fiat paused regular production during World War I to manufacture planes, weapons, engines, ambulances and other military-related equipment. In 1917, the U.S. plant was shut down due to regulations complications. Models produced during the 1910s included the 12/15 HP or Fiat Zero, Tipo 2B, 70, 501 and 505. The company also started building tractors after WWI.
Fiat established a new Italian factory in 1923, its biggest one yet, and it was the first to produce vehicles on an assembly line. During the 1920s, the company thrived and successively introduced models such as the 510, 520 Superfiat, 519, 502, 509, 503, 507, 512, 520, 521, 525 and 514. In 1925, Fiat dominated Italian car sales with a market share of 87%.
The 1930s saw the arrival of many more models, like the 515, 522, 524, 508 Balilla, 518 Ardita, 527, 1500, 500, 508 C, 2800 and 1100. Of those, the 500 stood out as the world’s smallest mass-produced car at the time, and was nicknamed “Topolino” or little mouse. The 500 Topolino was manufactured up until 1955, offered in two-door coupe, convertible, van and wagon body styles.
Once again, Fiat reverted to aircraft production during World War II, but also battle tanks and armoured vehicles. However, in 1943, Giovanni Agnelli and his family were removed from the company’s management as they were considered too close to Benito Mussolini’s government that had just been overthrown by the National Liberation Committee, and Agnelli passed away in 1945 at age 79. After the war, Fiat pursued regular car production with updated pre-war models.
In 1950, Fiat launched its first post-WWII car, the 1400, and was quickly followed by the Campagnola, 8V, 1900, 1100/103, 600, 1200, 500, 1200/1500/1600 Cabriolet, 1800 and 2100. Of course, the most remarkable of that list is the Fiat 500 that launched in 1957 as the Topolino’s successor, and was produced until 1975.
Gianni Agnelli, Giovanni’s grandson, returned to the company as general manager in 1963 and became its chairman from 1966 to 1996. Models arriving during the 1960s included the 1300, 1500, 2300, 850, 238, 241, 124, Ferrari-engined Dino, 125, 128 and 130. Fiat acquired rival Italian company Autobianchi in 1967, and went on to purchase controlling stakes in Ferrari and Lancia in 1969. Fiat even owned Italian airline Alitalia while exploiting companies in office equipment, electronics, paint, civil engineering and construction. Fiat had become a conglomerate.
Production figures continued to climb throughout the 50s and 60s, reaching 1.75 million units worldwide in 1968, and peaking at 1.4 million units in Italy alone in 1970. Fiat starting building an assembly plant in Russia in 1970, in which rebadged Fiat 124 cars were produced under the Lada brand. In 1971, Fiat acquired performance automaker Abarth, as the two companies were collaborating on various projects since 1952, and Abarth became Fiat Group’s racing department.
In 1976, Fiat management agreed to hand over about 10% of its shares to the Libyan government in exchange of a capital injection and the promise of building a truck and bus factory in Libya, as the 1973 oil crisis had taken its toll on the company financially. Fiat’s diverse businesses were spun off into individual companies in 1979, and the conglomerate became a holding company. The 1970s saw the introduction of Fiat models such as the 127, 126, 132, X1/9, 131, 133, 242, 147, 900T, Fiorino, Daily and Ritmo/Strada.
The 1980s saw the introduction of the 500’s spiritual successor, the Fiat Panda, of which more than 7.5 million units were manufactured up until 2003. Other Fiat models launched during that decade included the Ducato, Argenta, Regata, Uno, Croma and Tipo. However, sales dropped in the United States, and the company decided to pull the Fiat and Lancia brands in the country in 1984. Fiat acquired Alfa Romeo in 1986 and Maserati in 1993.
The nineties saw the introduction of the Tempra, Cinquecento, Coupé, Punto, Ulysse, Bravo, Barchetta, Marea, Palio, Scudo, Seicento and Multipla. Sales continued to dwindle, and in 1998, Fiat’s market share in Italy had dropped to 41%.
The 2000s were a quieter period for Fiat from a product perspective, launching models such as the Stilo, Albea, Idea, Grande Punto and Sedici (rebadged Suzuki SX4). However, an all-new generation of that Fiat 500 arrived in 2007, eventually hitting the U.S. and Canadian markets for the 2012 model year, by way of Chrysler dealerships. In 2004, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo was appointed Fiat’s chairman while Sergio Marchionne was named CEO. In 2007, Fiat Auto S.p.A. became Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. and rounded up the Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Fiat Commercial Vehicles divisions.
In 2009, Fiat started negotiations with Chrysler LLC to form an alliance, creating an opportunity for Fiat to access Chrysler’s North American dealership network. In 2014, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. was created in the Netherlands, also known as FCA, as Fiat acquired a 58.5% percent stake of Chrysler LLC. Then in 2021, FCA completed its merger with Groupe PSA (managing the Peugeot and Citroën brands) to become Stellantis.
The 2010s marked the introduction of the 500L, the 500X, the Fullback and the 124 Spider—the latter sharing many mechanical components with the Mazda MX-5. Fiat also dabbled with badge-engineered vehicles for foreign markets, such as the South American Freemont (rebadged Dodge Journey) and the Chinese-market Ottimo (rebadged Dodge Dart).
Today, the Fiat brand’s lineup in Italy consists of the 500e, the 600, the E-Doblò, Panda, the Grande Panda, the Tipo, the Topolino and commercial vehicles such as the Ducato, the E-Ducato, the Scudo and the E-Scudo. A Fiat 500 Hybrid is scheduled to be introduced by the end of 2025, but it hasn’t yet been confirmed for the U.S. and Canadian markets yet.