Fiat History

The history of the Fiat automaker dates back to 1899 and took place Italy. The actual automobile brand Fiat however, did not become its own enterprise until 2007. Before then, Fiat Auto was a small part of the bigger Fiat Group, that produces vehicles for everything from passenger vehicles to those industrial vehicles. During the early years of Fiat, 1899 to 1911, they produced a total of 24 cars. This was also the time that Fiat expanded their operations to include the United States. During this time, Fiat made many notable contributions to the auto world, including beginning to put electric accumulators into their vehicles.

During the time period of 1912 to 1925, Fiat became the largest factory in Europe. During this time, Fiat dedicated itself to producing weapons, aircrafts and vehicles for the Allied Forces during WWI. After the ending of the war, Fiat did go through a brief period of crisis, however, once they recuperated, they once again become a dominant force in the automaker world. They also made great strides internally, as this was the time that they begin to offer health care plans and whatnot to their employees.

The years of 1926 to 1938 was a time of hardships for Fiat. Mussolini became head of Italy, which made Fiat have to scale back on their international presence. In fact, they took this time to focus on domestic market. They also took this time to improve their mass production skills. During 1939 to 1964 production of vehicles for Fiat pretty much ceased. This was due to WWII and the fact that President of Fiat died. However, toward the latter of this period, they did come out with a few new vehicles, but the numbers were nothing compared to past years.

From 1965 to 1990, Fiat continued to experience growth in the market. And brought many cars to the lineup. However, the turning point for Fiat came during 1991 to present day when they entered into the family car market, a market that was closed off to them before. The Fiat has many notable achievements. The European Car of the Year that has been given away for the past forty years, was awarded to Fiat for 12 years, a statement of the quality and craftsmanship of the vehicles that Fiat produces.

In addition to the rich history of the Fiat automobile in Italy, the brand also has a long history in the United States. They first built a Fiat plan in New York during 1908, a year later in 1909 they began their first production of Fiat automobiles in the United States. However, the era of Fiat in the United States ended in 1983 due to the reputation of producing poor quality vehicles. During their reign in the United States, many people viewed the Fiat cars as luxury items that they paid thousands more for than domestic vehicles. Since this time, Fiat has greatly improved the quality of their vehicles for the US market. Fiat acquired 20% of the Chrysler corporation in an effort to keep Chrysler from going under. This was the point in time that Fiat would once again start appealing in the United States.