Lancia's NEW management team
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david bouttell
Lancia's NEW management team
I seem to notice that no one has yet commented on the recent appointment of the new management team for Lancia. I have also seen this comfirmed by a motoring journalist.
The team are all under 35 and have been given full control over Lancia, their task is simply to put Lancia back in touch with todays market.
So back to the point i have been sticking to for all this time
" LANCIA IS NOT A MARQUE THAT IS ABOUT TO BE KILLED OF OR TURNED INTO A
PATHETIC UP MARKET FIAT!"
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alan cooper
Re: Lancia's NEW management team
let's hope that it's more than just enough to put a couple of lancia badges on and alcantara trim in some very ordinary fiats!
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Shant Fabricatorian
Re: Lancia's NEW management team
Well I for one hadn't heard anything about a new management team at Lancia, all under 35. Actually, that's a bit of a lie. If you're talking about the Top Gear article by Jason Barlow I did see that, but given that I hadn't seen anything about new management apart from that article I was inclined to disregard it (as I tend to do with most things in the motoring press).
Personally I feel the cynics are on stronger ground than the optimists with the most recent developments, that is, the canning of the Fulvia, canning of a Lybra replacement, and the launch of the Musa. I really hope Fiat have seen some sense though.
But, as always with situations like this, I'll believe it when I see it...
Personally I feel the cynics are on stronger ground than the optimists with the most recent developments, that is, the canning of the Fulvia, canning of a Lybra replacement, and the launch of the Musa. I really hope Fiat have seen some sense though.
But, as always with situations like this, I'll believe it when I see it...
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DAVID BOUTTELL
Re: Lancia's NEW management team
Actually it wasnt top gear but an italian publication, but i have seen that top gear have also published the same information
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DAVID BOUTTELL
Re: Lancia's NEW management team
Also there will be big changes in Fiat itself as the last of the Agneli's died on Friday and no one in the dynasty wants to take the company over. The prospect of someone big like GM having total control would allow for Lancia not to be in the arkward 'the other luxury brand' situation it has been in since the big Alfa romeo revival.
If you go to Italy you can see by the number of dealers and new Lancias on the road that it is still a big seller of large cars not just Ypsilons. Also the Italian people are very patriotic towards italian brands and are very proud of Lancia and would themselves be in uproar if the thought Lancia was in trouble. Just look at the strikes b4 Giannis death!
If you go to Italy you can see by the number of dealers and new Lancias on the road that it is still a big seller of large cars not just Ypsilons. Also the Italian people are very patriotic towards italian brands and are very proud of Lancia and would themselves be in uproar if the thought Lancia was in trouble. Just look at the strikes b4 Giannis death!
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Shant Fabricatorian
Re: Lancia's NEW management team
A GM takeover would be a disaster, no two ways about it.
Lancia won't last two seconds if GM gets its dirty mitts on it.
They killed off Plymouth and Oldsmobile not too long ago, and neither were as badly managed as Lancia is these days.
GM has screwed up Saab pretty comprehensively. It would screw up Fiat, Lancia and Alfa in much the same way. These Italian brands are different to anything else, that is why they appeal to enthusiasts like us. They still prioritise what I see as important - a revvy engine with a nice noise, pretty aesthetics (some recent dubious Fiat facelifts aside), proper handling (although again they have been heading in what I regard as the wrong direction in recent years, like the rest of the industry), and a fundamental ability to communicate, unlike any other nationality of car I've experienced.
GM doesn't understand this and never will. It will turn Fiats and Alfas into badge-engineered Opels and Lancia will be killed off. There is no two ways about it. As bad as Fiat's mucking around with Lancia is, it has been a lot more patient than any other major car manufacturer in the world would have been.
And you hit the nail on the head when you said, "If you go to Italy." That is exactly right. Lancia is fundamentally a domestic manufacturer, catering to Italian tastes, when the industry gets more global by the day. They sell next to nothing outside Italy, and the Ypsilon accounts for roughly three-quarters of Lancia's production. That said, don't get me wrong - I don't see this prioritising of Italian tastes as a bad thing, only I worry about Lancia's long-term prospects with this strategy.
Lancia won't last two seconds if GM gets its dirty mitts on it.
They killed off Plymouth and Oldsmobile not too long ago, and neither were as badly managed as Lancia is these days.
GM has screwed up Saab pretty comprehensively. It would screw up Fiat, Lancia and Alfa in much the same way. These Italian brands are different to anything else, that is why they appeal to enthusiasts like us. They still prioritise what I see as important - a revvy engine with a nice noise, pretty aesthetics (some recent dubious Fiat facelifts aside), proper handling (although again they have been heading in what I regard as the wrong direction in recent years, like the rest of the industry), and a fundamental ability to communicate, unlike any other nationality of car I've experienced.
GM doesn't understand this and never will. It will turn Fiats and Alfas into badge-engineered Opels and Lancia will be killed off. There is no two ways about it. As bad as Fiat's mucking around with Lancia is, it has been a lot more patient than any other major car manufacturer in the world would have been.
And you hit the nail on the head when you said, "If you go to Italy." That is exactly right. Lancia is fundamentally a domestic manufacturer, catering to Italian tastes, when the industry gets more global by the day. They sell next to nothing outside Italy, and the Ypsilon accounts for roughly three-quarters of Lancia's production. That said, don't get me wrong - I don't see this prioritising of Italian tastes as a bad thing, only I worry about Lancia's long-term prospects with this strategy.
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Nicola
Re: Lancia's NEW management team
Shant Fabricatorian, In response to you post, GM did not control Plymouth as it was not a division of General Motors -- that's the territory of the former Chrysler Corporation and currently DaimlerChrysler AG. It was the Germans at the former Daimler-Benz who deemed that Plymouth was more a liability than an asset and axed the entire division. The writing was on the wall since the so called "merger of equals" back in 1998 and Plymouth's days were numbered since it did not offer significant profits to the Chrysler Group's bottom line. It was a big deal here in the States since Plymouth was a historical marque that had some great vehicles in the muscle car era of the 1960s and 1970s. There were even signs of Plymouth being repositioned and having some unique products in the pipeline -- but those products were/are all redirected to the Chrysler brand instead. In DCX's defense, however, Plymouth had grown into a pale shadow of its former self. The brand had very little equity in it after years of abuse by Chrysler Corporation and the influx and competition by the Koreans and Japanese in the American market. Some would deem that Chrysler was better off killing Plymouth than letting it lanquish into an absolutely soulless marque.
As for your comment concerning Oldsmobile, you're right, this was GM's decision -- and it wasn't a very easy one at that. GM CEO Rich Wagooner made it pretty clear that they studied it from all angles, but pulling the plug on Olds would help to keep the rest of GM North America afloat since the engineering, advertising and design resources could be allocated elsewhere. In fact since the mid-1990s, GM sunk in close to US$5 Billion to try and salvage the brand with unique offerings. But Oldsmobile has been dying a slow death since the mid-1980s here in the States. The American market has continued to fragment as the years have gone on. The influx of competition has made it harder and harder for brands to stay distinctive and carve out their own niche. Since OIdsmobile was a mid-level/near luxury brand in the GM heirarchy, it was squeezed out by other GM divisions that had competiting products, but also by foreign marques that stole sales from Olds. Don't get me wrong, GM also abused Oldsmobile in its own way through some bad advertising and through some poor products. But overall, why does GM need Oldsmobile when Buick cover some of the same territory? That was when GM tried to reposition the brand, but the attempt failed and the resources that went into trying to salvage the brand could have been better used by other divisions. But keep in mind, when divisions like Plymouth and Oldsmobile were created, the American car manufacturers were all competiting against each other and foreign products made up a very small slice of the pie. Since now nearly every major player has a stake in the North American market, a number of these hallowed and storic marques are being squeezed out of existance because they simply are no longer relevant.
So while I'll agree that both DCX and GM have made big mistakes in the past, please don't lay the blame solely on mis-management of the top brass or incompetence in their abilities. The changes in the tastes of the American carbuying public and the changes in the market arguably had MORE to do with these two brands falling apart than mismanagement did.
Back to the topic on hand though, I'm not sure as to what would happen if GM did get its hands on Lancia or Fiat Auto in general. The top brass at GM do not seem to be interested in taking over Fiat Auto's operations any longer since they are just starting to get GM Europe back on track and are getting their game together in North America. After years of losses, Vauxhall, Opel and Saab are starting to lose less and less money every year and are on the brink of a product offensive. Additionally, GM has combined the operations and product cycles of Saab with those of Opel/Vauxhall to try and save money and streamline production. The results aren't entirely in yet, but progress is being made. And when you add in the fact that GM Europe will try to relaunch Cadillac soon in Western Europe, trying to keep GM Daewoo alive in Western Europe while reintroducing Daewoo products as Chevrolets in Eastern Europe, it's pretty clear they've got their hands full at the moment. Taking on the liabilities and costs -- not to mention polictical and labor pressures of the Italian government -- of a Fiat Auto would be a setback in its own right for GM. Umerto Agnelli put on a brave face and said that he hoped never to exercise the put option that would force GM to buy the rest of Fiat Auto -- I personally think he meant it, but who ever takes his place will have to believe in that just as firmly. GM and Fiat Auto together have agreed to put the put on hold for a year until they can figure out if the put has a monetary value or not. So the ball is still in the air.
However, IF it did happen, it would mean the Fiat-GM Europe would be the largest European car manufacturer and would be a serious threat to VW Group and PSA. Once the combined company got on the same page in R&D and product development, they could easily outstrip their rivals. But this is a fanciful thought that may never happen.
As for your comment that GM "will turn Fiats and Alfas into badge-engineered Opels and Lancia will be killed off", please keep in mind that the "GM-izing of Fiat Auto" --- and the "Fiat-ization of GM Europe" for that matter --- are already in the works. Regardless if GM controls 10% of Fiat Auto's stock or 100% of it, Fiat and GM are partners and WILL continue to codevelop engines, transmissions and platforms together. And the cooperation will mean that Fiat commonrail diesels will end up in Opels and Saabs just as GM gasoline sourced engines will end up in Fiat Auto products. In fact the next V6 engines that Alfa Romeo will use in their future products are GM derived with unique Alfa Romeo heads for that "signature" Alfa exhaust. Who would have though, an American sourced motor in an iconic Italian automobile? And it works the other way too. The upcoming Pontiac Solstice roadster uses switchgear and parts from the Fiat Barchetta for the interior.
From what I've read from Italian websites like Quattroroute.it, Inauto.it, and Automobilismo.it --- not to mention English publications like ItaliaSpeed.com --- a good number of future Fiat products like the next Fiat "Large" and Punto will all be based on largely GM sourced platforms. The "Large" -- which may spawn a Thesis replacement -- will be based on the GM Epsilon platform (Opel Vectra/Saab 9-3/Pontiac G6) and the Punto on the Opel Corsa platfrom. But the door is still open on other platform sharing and development as well. Not to mention the fact that Saab/GM and Alfa Romeo co-developed the platform that Alfa Romeo will use for the successors to the 156 and 166. So whether Lancisti (or Fiatisti or Alfisti) like it or not, GM will have an influence on future Fiat Auto products. And that means that upcoming Lancia products will undoubted will too. But the door swings both ways -- GM will also benefit from this in future platforms and engine knowledge from Fiat Auto since they are leaders in engine and small car development.
So perhaps this isn't a completely bad thing as some Lancisti might imagine. GM has made tremendous strides in the past few years to turn around their image and the quality of their products. And honestly, Fiat Auto looks to be in much worse shape all around than GM is at the moment. Not only could Fiat Auto benefit from this, but may end up saving so much money in its collaborations that profits might go into some great future products for Lancia and the rest of the group.
One last and final point to this LONG post. If anyone will kill off Lancia, it may be that the top brass at Fiat Auto will do it WAY before the folks at GM could or would for that matter. The rumor is that new Fiat CEO Herbert Demel is not a Lancia fan. He sees Lancia as nothing more than taking sales away from both Fiat and Alfa Romeo and robing resources from the group. So it may just be that the former VW/Audi boss will kill off Lancia without GM even getting involved.
As for your comment concerning Oldsmobile, you're right, this was GM's decision -- and it wasn't a very easy one at that. GM CEO Rich Wagooner made it pretty clear that they studied it from all angles, but pulling the plug on Olds would help to keep the rest of GM North America afloat since the engineering, advertising and design resources could be allocated elsewhere. In fact since the mid-1990s, GM sunk in close to US$5 Billion to try and salvage the brand with unique offerings. But Oldsmobile has been dying a slow death since the mid-1980s here in the States. The American market has continued to fragment as the years have gone on. The influx of competition has made it harder and harder for brands to stay distinctive and carve out their own niche. Since OIdsmobile was a mid-level/near luxury brand in the GM heirarchy, it was squeezed out by other GM divisions that had competiting products, but also by foreign marques that stole sales from Olds. Don't get me wrong, GM also abused Oldsmobile in its own way through some bad advertising and through some poor products. But overall, why does GM need Oldsmobile when Buick cover some of the same territory? That was when GM tried to reposition the brand, but the attempt failed and the resources that went into trying to salvage the brand could have been better used by other divisions. But keep in mind, when divisions like Plymouth and Oldsmobile were created, the American car manufacturers were all competiting against each other and foreign products made up a very small slice of the pie. Since now nearly every major player has a stake in the North American market, a number of these hallowed and storic marques are being squeezed out of existance because they simply are no longer relevant.
So while I'll agree that both DCX and GM have made big mistakes in the past, please don't lay the blame solely on mis-management of the top brass or incompetence in their abilities. The changes in the tastes of the American carbuying public and the changes in the market arguably had MORE to do with these two brands falling apart than mismanagement did.
Back to the topic on hand though, I'm not sure as to what would happen if GM did get its hands on Lancia or Fiat Auto in general. The top brass at GM do not seem to be interested in taking over Fiat Auto's operations any longer since they are just starting to get GM Europe back on track and are getting their game together in North America. After years of losses, Vauxhall, Opel and Saab are starting to lose less and less money every year and are on the brink of a product offensive. Additionally, GM has combined the operations and product cycles of Saab with those of Opel/Vauxhall to try and save money and streamline production. The results aren't entirely in yet, but progress is being made. And when you add in the fact that GM Europe will try to relaunch Cadillac soon in Western Europe, trying to keep GM Daewoo alive in Western Europe while reintroducing Daewoo products as Chevrolets in Eastern Europe, it's pretty clear they've got their hands full at the moment. Taking on the liabilities and costs -- not to mention polictical and labor pressures of the Italian government -- of a Fiat Auto would be a setback in its own right for GM. Umerto Agnelli put on a brave face and said that he hoped never to exercise the put option that would force GM to buy the rest of Fiat Auto -- I personally think he meant it, but who ever takes his place will have to believe in that just as firmly. GM and Fiat Auto together have agreed to put the put on hold for a year until they can figure out if the put has a monetary value or not. So the ball is still in the air.
However, IF it did happen, it would mean the Fiat-GM Europe would be the largest European car manufacturer and would be a serious threat to VW Group and PSA. Once the combined company got on the same page in R&D and product development, they could easily outstrip their rivals. But this is a fanciful thought that may never happen.
As for your comment that GM "will turn Fiats and Alfas into badge-engineered Opels and Lancia will be killed off", please keep in mind that the "GM-izing of Fiat Auto" --- and the "Fiat-ization of GM Europe" for that matter --- are already in the works. Regardless if GM controls 10% of Fiat Auto's stock or 100% of it, Fiat and GM are partners and WILL continue to codevelop engines, transmissions and platforms together. And the cooperation will mean that Fiat commonrail diesels will end up in Opels and Saabs just as GM gasoline sourced engines will end up in Fiat Auto products. In fact the next V6 engines that Alfa Romeo will use in their future products are GM derived with unique Alfa Romeo heads for that "signature" Alfa exhaust. Who would have though, an American sourced motor in an iconic Italian automobile? And it works the other way too. The upcoming Pontiac Solstice roadster uses switchgear and parts from the Fiat Barchetta for the interior.
From what I've read from Italian websites like Quattroroute.it, Inauto.it, and Automobilismo.it --- not to mention English publications like ItaliaSpeed.com --- a good number of future Fiat products like the next Fiat "Large" and Punto will all be based on largely GM sourced platforms. The "Large" -- which may spawn a Thesis replacement -- will be based on the GM Epsilon platform (Opel Vectra/Saab 9-3/Pontiac G6) and the Punto on the Opel Corsa platfrom. But the door is still open on other platform sharing and development as well. Not to mention the fact that Saab/GM and Alfa Romeo co-developed the platform that Alfa Romeo will use for the successors to the 156 and 166. So whether Lancisti (or Fiatisti or Alfisti) like it or not, GM will have an influence on future Fiat Auto products. And that means that upcoming Lancia products will undoubted will too. But the door swings both ways -- GM will also benefit from this in future platforms and engine knowledge from Fiat Auto since they are leaders in engine and small car development.
So perhaps this isn't a completely bad thing as some Lancisti might imagine. GM has made tremendous strides in the past few years to turn around their image and the quality of their products. And honestly, Fiat Auto looks to be in much worse shape all around than GM is at the moment. Not only could Fiat Auto benefit from this, but may end up saving so much money in its collaborations that profits might go into some great future products for Lancia and the rest of the group.
One last and final point to this LONG post. If anyone will kill off Lancia, it may be that the top brass at Fiat Auto will do it WAY before the folks at GM could or would for that matter. The rumor is that new Fiat CEO Herbert Demel is not a Lancia fan. He sees Lancia as nothing more than taking sales away from both Fiat and Alfa Romeo and robing resources from the group. So it may just be that the former VW/Audi boss will kill off Lancia without GM even getting involved.
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Shant Fabricatorian
Re: Lancia's NEW management team
Yes, you're quite right about Plymouth, total brain fade on my part.
But having said that, don't you see what you're saying? Both Olds and Plymouth were squeezed out by rivals from within the same group. This is exactly what is happening to Lancia - the sporting aspect has been squeezed by Alfa, and in the process Alfa is positioning itself as a BMW/Mercedes rival. If that's happening, exactly where is there for Lancia to go? Since the launch of the Beta/Gamma, the medium cars have taken on BMW/Audi, not so much Mercedes, but the larger cars (like Gamma, Thema, Kappa and now Thesis) have taken on all three German marques, with an Italian twist. But if Alfa's doing that, what is Lancia supposed to do? You say that Oldsmobile was competing against Buick, suffered from contrived advertising, some poor products, and you may also add it was largely a domestic brand. You say they were 'no longer relevant'. You can apply all of the same, and then some, to Lancia.
Moving on, GM and Fiat are already collaborating on R+D and product development, aren't they? And it's supposed to be saving them at least a billion dollars a year, which is a lot in anyone's language. And yes, this is a good thing if it helps Fiat to remain independent, as it surely does. Why is it a fanciful thought? That's the whole point of the platform sharing and co-operational engine development. As I've said before, I am not a card-carrying supporter of an alliance between GM and Fiat by any means, but I don't have as huge a problem with them sharing platforms and basic engine designs as some do. At the end of the day it's commercial reality in the modern automobile industry. When it comes to sharing platforms, who really cares? Platforms are not the major contributory factor to a car's handling and ride, and they certainly don't affect what it looks like, apart perhaps from the length of the overhangs. The Fulvia concept's platform can be directly traced back to the original Punto, I didn't hear too many people complaining 'Oh, it looks like a Punto'. Platforms cost a fortune to develop and do not necessarily detrimentally affect a car's character, so I'm not bothered by that. In any case, Fiat has majority responsibility for development of the small-car platforms (something like 60:40), so that's not my issue with it. Equally, you can say the same about engines. Yes, GM Europe does have some good engines, and I'm sure Fiat/Lancia can tune them to produce a suitably Italian tune. There probably aren't any truly bad engines in production anymore. There are better ones than others, but no bad ones, so it can't be all bad.
But what I do object to is GM control, as opposed to Fiat control, of Fiat and Lancia. There is a huge difference between co-operation with GM and being controlled by GM. Co-operation means that Fiat management decides what it will build, what specifications they will have, and the implication that they will retain distinctively Italian characteristics. GM control implicitly means a loss of brand values (I direct you once again to Saab - just remember that the 1994 900 was less safe than the car it replaced because of GM's cost-cutting and insistence they use the Cavalier platform), cynical badge engineering, and a loss of engineering control. Saab has been neutered by savage cutbacks in its engineering and design departments. In doing so, they have alienated Saab's traditional consumer base. Saab's consumer base does not want an Impreza with a Saab grille. Nor do they want a Chevy Trailblazer with a live rear axle. But don't you see? All of this will happen to Fiat too. GM does not want Fiat and does not care about its values. I hear so many conflicting opinions on whether it will be good or bad that I'm going to go with my gut feeling, and my gut says it is not promising.
I know the Demel rumour, and I'm also pretty sure it's true. But the trouble I have with it is, if that's the case, why are they launching the Enea? Why did they launch the Ypsilon? I think they probably recognise it's worth keeping it alive for at least a little while longer. How much longer, that's anyone's guess. But I don't think it's going to disappear tomorrow.
One piece of good news though is that Luca di Montezemolo has been appointed as chairman, taking over from Umberto, so at least we can count on him to keep Fiat in Italian hands.
But having said that, don't you see what you're saying? Both Olds and Plymouth were squeezed out by rivals from within the same group. This is exactly what is happening to Lancia - the sporting aspect has been squeezed by Alfa, and in the process Alfa is positioning itself as a BMW/Mercedes rival. If that's happening, exactly where is there for Lancia to go? Since the launch of the Beta/Gamma, the medium cars have taken on BMW/Audi, not so much Mercedes, but the larger cars (like Gamma, Thema, Kappa and now Thesis) have taken on all three German marques, with an Italian twist. But if Alfa's doing that, what is Lancia supposed to do? You say that Oldsmobile was competing against Buick, suffered from contrived advertising, some poor products, and you may also add it was largely a domestic brand. You say they were 'no longer relevant'. You can apply all of the same, and then some, to Lancia.
Moving on, GM and Fiat are already collaborating on R+D and product development, aren't they? And it's supposed to be saving them at least a billion dollars a year, which is a lot in anyone's language. And yes, this is a good thing if it helps Fiat to remain independent, as it surely does. Why is it a fanciful thought? That's the whole point of the platform sharing and co-operational engine development. As I've said before, I am not a card-carrying supporter of an alliance between GM and Fiat by any means, but I don't have as huge a problem with them sharing platforms and basic engine designs as some do. At the end of the day it's commercial reality in the modern automobile industry. When it comes to sharing platforms, who really cares? Platforms are not the major contributory factor to a car's handling and ride, and they certainly don't affect what it looks like, apart perhaps from the length of the overhangs. The Fulvia concept's platform can be directly traced back to the original Punto, I didn't hear too many people complaining 'Oh, it looks like a Punto'. Platforms cost a fortune to develop and do not necessarily detrimentally affect a car's character, so I'm not bothered by that. In any case, Fiat has majority responsibility for development of the small-car platforms (something like 60:40), so that's not my issue with it. Equally, you can say the same about engines. Yes, GM Europe does have some good engines, and I'm sure Fiat/Lancia can tune them to produce a suitably Italian tune. There probably aren't any truly bad engines in production anymore. There are better ones than others, but no bad ones, so it can't be all bad.
But what I do object to is GM control, as opposed to Fiat control, of Fiat and Lancia. There is a huge difference between co-operation with GM and being controlled by GM. Co-operation means that Fiat management decides what it will build, what specifications they will have, and the implication that they will retain distinctively Italian characteristics. GM control implicitly means a loss of brand values (I direct you once again to Saab - just remember that the 1994 900 was less safe than the car it replaced because of GM's cost-cutting and insistence they use the Cavalier platform), cynical badge engineering, and a loss of engineering control. Saab has been neutered by savage cutbacks in its engineering and design departments. In doing so, they have alienated Saab's traditional consumer base. Saab's consumer base does not want an Impreza with a Saab grille. Nor do they want a Chevy Trailblazer with a live rear axle. But don't you see? All of this will happen to Fiat too. GM does not want Fiat and does not care about its values. I hear so many conflicting opinions on whether it will be good or bad that I'm going to go with my gut feeling, and my gut says it is not promising.
I know the Demel rumour, and I'm also pretty sure it's true. But the trouble I have with it is, if that's the case, why are they launching the Enea? Why did they launch the Ypsilon? I think they probably recognise it's worth keeping it alive for at least a little while longer. How much longer, that's anyone's guess. But I don't think it's going to disappear tomorrow.
One piece of good news though is that Luca di Montezemolo has been appointed as chairman, taking over from Umberto, so at least we can count on him to keep Fiat in Italian hands.
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Leo Capaldi
GM Takeover
GM have owned Vauxhall for as long as I can remember. Nowadays Vauxhall and Opel cars share the same platform (along with US based cars) but GM has kept the Vauxhall marque alive and indeed re-established it in the UK. So there is hope that the inevitable GM take over of FIAT Auto Spa may keep the Lancia badge flying. I personally feel that a change of management at FIAT would be good for Lancia as some of the exisiting management had no like of Lancia and saw it as a burden to their beloved FIATs. Certainly one can understand how FIAT people felt when their top end cars were abandoned due to the conflict with Lancias. I reckon that Lancia was kept alive by the Agnelli dynasty pretty much directly and therefore was under great threat due to the borthers bereavement. Hopefully safe-ish again due the appointment of Luca di Montezemolo who has declared that he will stick to the Agnelli plan (presumably until GM take over).