Fiat May Be Repositioned As High-End Brand In Australia

A PLAN TO TIE the ailing Fiat brand to its upmarket subsidiary Maserati is reportedly underway, as local importer Ateco Automotive scrambles to make the marque viable in Australia.

With Fiat’s Punto, Ritmo and 500 failing to gain traction in the Australian market, Ateco is apparently investigating cutting back part of Fiat’s dealer network and piggybacking the brand off Maserati.

The strategy would reduce costs associated with selling and maintaining the brand in Australia. Ateco’s Governing Director Neville Crichton reportedly believes it would generate a substantial synergy between Fiat and Maserati.

It is not without risk of course. Re-positioning Fiat as a more aspirational brand by selling it along the significantly upmarket Maserati range may not attract buyers who would not otherwise walk into a Fiat dealership.

And, with Maserati’s sales to August of this year down to 84 cars (compared to 162 cars the year before), showroom traffic may not be enough to get a meaningful turnaround of fortune for Fiat.

Ateco loses money on most Fiat vehicles that it imports, and is currently discussing with Fiat headquarters how to solve the brand’s profitability problem in Australia.

A Fiat/Maserati tie-up is just one option on the table. A decision on where to take Fiat in Australia is expected to be made by the end of this year.

2010 BMW X5 Facelift Spotted

A PROTOTYPE BMW X5 has been spied undergoing testing in Europe, its mildly-camouflaged bumpers and lamp clusters hinting at the popular SUV’s new look for 2010.

Larger chin intakes and a reshaped central intake are the main changes to the front bumper, while the rear bumper has been re-shaped to accommodate a pair of rhomboid tailpipes.

Although the general shape of the front and rear light clusters appears largely unchanged, new lenses and ‘jewelery’ will freshen up the X5’s appearance.

New alloy wheel designs are also likely.

Inside, besides a refreshed interior, the new model will certainly feature BMW’s revised iDrive controller.

Much of the X5’s current engine line-up is expected to carry over, but the 300kW twin-turbocharged 4.4 litre V8 from the BMW X6 xDrive50i may be added to the X5 range in some markets.

The facelifted 2010 BMW X5 is anticipated to make its debut at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show in January. Timing for a local release has yet to be determined

Chrysler, Dodge And Jeep To Undergo Accelerated New Model Programme

SERGIO MARCHIONNE, CEO of Fiat and Chrysler, is pushing to have a handful of Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge models redesigned and on the market in the next 18 months - projects that would normally take two to three years.

The Chrysler Town & Country (Grand Voyager in Australia), Dodge Caliber, Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot are all earmarked for immediate overhauls, joining the recently redesigned 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The move sits at odds with reports in July that the company would be unlikely to offer any new models in the next two years.

Along with the Grand Cherokee, an all-new Chrysler 300C is already in development, the project having started before Fiat became involved with the carmaker.

Reports in June suggested that Chrysler was then considering putting the 200C concept into production as a replacement for the Sebring.

The next-generation Dodge Avenger is expected to switch to a real-wheel-drive layout, using either a Fiat-built platform or the same LX platform underpinning the Dodge Charger.

Desperate to turn turn the image of its brands around as soon as possible, Chrysler’s new boss has reportedly told the carmaker’s engineering, design and product development departments to expect a lot of late nights over the next year.

The struggling US manufacturer, recently saved from almost certain oblivion by a new alliance with Italian carmaker Fiat, is expected to re-hire a number of key staff laid off during the company’s restructuring.