Luca De Meo
Frankfurt Show 2007 speech
Ladies and gentlemen good morning and welcome to the Fiat world, which as you have come to expect, is a world of surprises! Take this gigantic 500, the greatest small car on the planet. I’ve been told that this is the biggest car mock-up ever built for a motor show, but also that this is the first time that a car maker presents a new model through a moving display.
All this says a lot about Fiat’s attitude today. Surprising, creative yet with substance. A lot of substance.
The IAA is such an important global event that we didn’t want to miss the opportunity to display all that we are preparing to make of Fiat one of the coolest brands in the industry.
Fiat is Italy, and Italy has played a large part in automotive history and will also play its part in the future. We have used the 3 colours of the Italian flag to represent the 3 key messages that we wish to communicate:
Let’s start from white: the colour of pureness, of simplicity but also of the soul. And 500 is probably the soul of our brand, the quintessential representation of what we want to do and a good example of what we are capable of doing. The 500 has been praised by a lot of specialists as probably the best small car in the world today. Great Italian design, incredible customization possibilities, the safest and the most ecological car in its class and beyond. This is the demonstration that today we are technological leaders in small cars. And there is more to come!!
Red stands for passion. In the automotive world everybody knows that red is the colour that has always represented Italy on the race track. And red today is for the colour of the re-launch of Abarth - a story of passion. A brand strictly connected in the past, with Fiat. A brand that we are re-creating, through a dedicated organization, built around the racing division of Fiat. Abarth will also be the way for our brand to enter the tuning market in a proper and ambitious way. But Abarth will also be a line-up of cars engineered as real sports versions of small Fiat models, distributed through an exclusive network of 100 European dealers.
The Punto Abarth Super Sport displayed on the stand is a good example of what we will be doing: 180 hp, Zero-to-100 in just 7,7 sec, upgraded suspension etc…. This is the tuning version of the Punto Abarth that will be introduced to the market in just a few months (or in early 2008).
And then we come to the green. Just to say that today Fiat, with facts and numbers, is the most ecological manufacturer in Europe. We are proud of it, but we also know that we have a responsibility towards people and their future, and we will commit to this by declaring that irrespective of industry agreements; we will aim to be the manufacturer with the lowest CO2 emission levels in Europe. And we would like to do it the Fiat way - by providing customers with everyday affordable solutions to minimize the environmental impact of personal transportation. No rocket science, no science fiction, but easy to use, reliable and affordable technology for everybody, everyday!
Our commitment is very clear. After having invented the technology that today moves every new generation diesel, we are now working on the downsizing and at the same time technological upgrade of gasoline engines. This approach will ensure lower emissions and running costs while delivering a better driving experience. This is already a reality with the 120 & 150 hp t-jet mounted on Punto, Bravo & Linea.
The Panda based concept you see here is an incredible collection of simple and available technology, such as Stop and Start, MTA, Multiair technology and CNG-hydrogen blend. And thanks to the By-cylinder 900cc turbocharged direct injection engine mounted can achieve 69 g of CO2 per km. No rocket science just simple, available technology with truly fantastic results.
The By-cylinder engine is the big news of the show. From 2010 to at least the end of the next decade, it will power every Fiat model on our small platform. It truly represents the best example of our commitment for sustainable development the world over.
Before closing I would like to mention the interesting experience we are developing with Microsoft for the integration of on board consumer electronics technology: our Blue & Me project. More than 20% of customers are choosing this device. In light of what I mentioned before about emissions and environment I would like to touch upon a further evolution of the system that through an integrated software will give drivers the possibility to optimize driving style in real life resulting in reduced fuel consumption of around 10% according to our engineers. Martin Thall, VP for Microsoft automotive business, has joined us and will be available for any further questions you may have.
Thank you all for coming today. I hope you will take time to look around our stand and to appreciate what it is that we are doing, where we are going.
Fiat is fun, young and dynamic. This is plain to see. But beneath the bella figura, there is real substance and a seriousness to our aims.