I drive an 06 Punto 1.9 Turbo Diesel.

My wife just got her drivers license (a little late at 30 years old). She’ll probably get the Punto and I’ll buy a 500 Abarth.

I’d be great to see the Panda come here, brilliant car.

I love how Aussie poke fun at early Italian cars rusting [Nothing wrong with the Russian steel, just they way it was {or was/nt] treated and painted was the issue] YET you only have to look at a similar vintage Kingswood/Falcon/Valiant and they have similar if not WORSE rust issue.

My 1998 Falcon had so much rust even the ashtray was rusting….

History lesson OVER!

Forget what your college roomate told you in 1974, most of the problems arose from US safety and emissions regs, dealer issues in the US, and Russian steel which the company unfortunately obtained in a barter deal for a factory there. I myself had a 1978 FIAT 131 Mirafiori that was the most enjoyable economy car you could imagine… still on the road 30 years later, too.

And current FIAT CEO Sergio Marchionne is a genius, if you read what The Economist had to say about what’s he’s done at the company, you’d understand just how well run FIAT is… the only currently profitable European automaker.

I also rented a small, 4 door FIAT Panda in Greece… it got 40-50mpg on gas, and was a very sporty drive for an econobox. FIAT also makes what we would call a midsize, the Croma… which is like a Taurus, and they produce all matter of trucks right-up-to big rigs.

They invented the now widespread “single rail” diesel technology, and their smallest cars get 70mpg on diesel… who needs hybrids?

Any portrayal of FIAT as a producer of antiquidated, poor quality little cars is nonsense from the uninformed. IMO, they are going to surprise a whole lot of people.