Liaisons, some dangerous, some inspired and many unexpected, have long created drama in the automotive industry.
Half a century ago, no pundit could have imagined modest, middle-class Peugeot being a lead player in an industrial combine including the mighty (it was then) Fiat, America’s third-biggest car maker (it was then) Chrysler and Opel and Vauxhall, twinned then cast off by General Motors. Almost as wild would have been the idea of Fiat swallowing Chrysler, Jeep and a pick-up brand called Ram.
Yet that’s exactly how things turned out, with Stellantis formed from the merger of the PSA Group (which grew out of Peugeot) and FCA (Fiat and Chrysler merged).
So how did its various brands get here, and what are some of their most memorable creations?
Fiat
Punto: Fiat invented the supermini with the 127 in 1971, and its Punto descendant was often the best seller in Europe. It’s amazing that the firm abandoned such success, despite tight margins.
Fiat Tipo: A fine example of Fiat’s bipolarity: the charming 500 on one side, the dull and underdone Tipo on the other.
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Many cars listed. None for me, not only due to your criticism, but also due to my experience.
Don't you hate postings like this that slag off articles without ever saying what their views are.
I've had Peugeot 205's and 405's as well as 106, 406, and a Fiat Punto, and they were all cracking cars.
I had Peugeot 405 and Citroen and they were cracking cars. The 405 cracked the engine, the citroen cracked the gearbox, the inlet manifold in a big mang and the flimsy a/c manifold.
I wrote mang, correction: bang
I almost forgot the 405, an everyday family car that had a little of the 205s magic in the chassis department.