Fiat Offers High Risk Moves During Global Recession

If anything, you have to give the management of Fiat some real respect for being so gutsy during this global recession. Other Italian brands such as Italjet have gone out of business and sold their assets to an Indian company. And Italian motorcycle maker Benelli allowed a Chinese brand to buy in on their company. By contrast Fiat not only will buy in on Chrysler, but is looking to buy GM's European operations which include the UK's Vauxhall brand, Germany's Opel, and the Swedish Saab brand. While other Italian auto or motorcycle brands are retreating economically, Fiat is bidding on a major gamble to boost it's annual vehicle sales to over $100 billion a year. That's pretty brave during a major world recession.

If Fiat's big economic gamble succeeds, they will exit this recession as one of the largest automobile manufacturing groups in the world, while other brands such as GM, Ford and Chrysler lost a great deal of market share and ground economically. India's TaTa Motors is another international automaker on the move with new models and having acquired both the Land Rover and Jaguar car line from Ford.

During a major recession, a few companies with real guts can emerge as major players, while others will suffer and could even go out of business. Will Fiat's huge gamble succeed? Only time will tell.

Speaking of real guts, dig this way cool concept ride from Fiat. Nothing very conservative there.