Miscellaneous

["Scott Johnson" <scott@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Regarding "Eric H."'s tips on how to get cardisc images to a more
reasonable size:

Actually, you only have to re-name the first 8 pages/files of any
section (pages 1-9) to get them to re-order properly. Renaming hundreds
of files is agony. Renaming 8 is just a minor pain.

Concerning return strategies/rumors:

Fiat management has stated publicly on at least one occasion that they
will return when US and EC reach an agreement to cross-certify
automobile testing. In other words, smashing and sniffing cars on one
side of the pond means they're OK to import on the other side. This is
not as far off as one may think. A major stumbling block was said to be
airbag power, which as we all know has pretty much been equalized. It
may now merely be beauracratic wrangling is all that's left. But it may
not... 
(my opinion: next 5-10 years)

Fiat's name has been mentioned more than once in merger talks, and not
just here. Fiat is a big company, lots of badges in the stable. All the
US companies already have major european partners, so it wouldn't be
coming from there. Me, I'd keep my eyes on the japanese or other asian
makes, and bet on Fiat buying one of them rather than the other way
around. The asian collapse has made not just cars but car COMPANIES
cheap, and the asian car companies are looking for big hard-currency
deals to stay afloat. Fiat wants to break into the asian market very
badly, and has been trying it on its own for some years now. Aquiring an
asian company would be a win-win-win:

The asian company gets a big infusion of hard cash and an instant
network into europe, which the asians have been trying to crack for a
long time

Fiat gets an asian car company, with a super strong reputation for
quality, lack of labor problems, and noteable efficiency for a fantastic
price

Fiat enters asia in a great big way, which it wants, and (depending on
the company) gets an entry into the US, which is not sought but is a
bonus.

But heck, I'm an anthropology graduate that programs computers... what
do I know about business? :)

Scott Johnson
Alfa Spider FAQ Author

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