GM-FIAT Strategic Alliance concerns

[Paul Rollins <psroll@domain.elided>]

This announcement is more alarming than assurring regarding FIAT's
future, particularly in the U.S. FIAT, which is generally agreed to be
ineffective as a marketer in North America, is teaming with General
Motors, which has lost a huge chunk of market share over the last few
decades in N.A. GM seems to be the least-likely of any of the U.S. "Big
Three" to be capable of handling brands like FIAT, Alfa and Lancia.
These GM guys are the purveuors of dull-as-dog-dirt transportation
devices like the Buick and Oldsmobile. They managed to lose Cadillac's
first place in sales for domestic luxury cars to Lincoln. For the past
quarter century, they have had failure after fiasco. This is the bunch
that  was responsible for achievements like:
            the "X" body series
            the "one-body-for-all-cars"approach so that Caddies could
look like Biscayne's
            small-block-petrol-engine-turned-into-a-diesel disaster
            Cadillac Cimarron (worlds most over-priced, entry-level
Chevy)
            the now-that-we-got-it-right-let's-drop-it Allante
            ditto the Buick Reatta
            the we-can-make-a-car-look-like-Keiko-the-killer-whale Chevy
Impala
            highest-cost, major U.S. auto producer.

GM's future seems to be all in the past. How does such a company add
enough value to FIAT's brands to make them successsful in NA?

Paul Rollins

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