“When I was given Fiat [to run], I was very happy,” said Olivier François, Fiat’s global boss. “In the old world, it was where all the investments used to go. Finally, I thought, I can express my ideas for the Fiat brand. But actually, no, I couldn’t. The investment was needed on other brands.”
That briefly sums up the history of Fiat over the past decade, a decade in which François has stayed at the helm despite all the turbulence, which includes the rise and sad demise of Sergio Marchionne and, more recently, the huge merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the PSA Group to form Stellantis.
While watchful Stellantis chief Carlos Tavares has shuffled around almost all other brand bosses, François stays in charge, most likely demonstrating how he has impressed by achieving so much with so little investment.
