History of Fiat
The word Fiat stands for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino which translates to Italian Automobile Factory of Turin. In 1899 Fiat was founded by a group of European investors; it was the beginning of the Italian industrialisation and within a year, Fiat has opened up their first factory. Giovanni Agnelli fast became Managing Director of the new company because of his enthusiastic and innovative approach to business. Since then the company has grown and expanded and has now become the sixth largest car manufacturer in the world.
The first Fiat factory produced only 24 cars, none of which were fitted with a reverse gear. In 1904 the Fiat logo was drawn up by the company and in 1908 Fiat Automobile Co. was founded in the USA. The company didn't just manufacture cars either; around this time Fiat Taxis were popular around Europe and the company also produced vans, aircrafts, trams and marine engines. By 1910, Fiat was Italy's largest car manufacturer - a title it has retained since.
In 1916 the company started to construct a factory in Lintgotto, the largest in Europe. Whilst business was thriving in Europe, the American factories were forced to close during World War One. Despite the setbacks, in 1923 revolutionary mass production techniques were first introduced to the company. Over thirty years later the first diesel car from the company was unveiled; the Fiat 1400.
In the 1980s, Fiat launched one of its most recognisable cars, the Fiat Uno - a car credited for its reliability and its aesthetic style. Soon after the Fiat Punto was launched and was named car of the year in 1995. Many new models have been released since then such as the Seicento MY, Panda 4x4 and Stilo. After over a century in the industry, Fiat is still breaking new ground today with its modern technological cars and iconic Italian design.