Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86. (Picture from: http://www.topspeed.com/) |
Fiat Group Company and Mazda Motor Corp said ready to work together to develop and produce a new sports car for global markets.
The plan of sports car which is still in concept design use the base rear-wheel drive Mazda MX-5. Nevertheless, to distinguish between the production of Fiat and Mazda, both decided to use a different machine, so the sports car enthusiast can choose a variant according to their needs.
The sports cars are sold Mazda and Alfa Romeo will use Mazda's production facility in Hiroshima Japan. Their first production is scheduled to be done in the next two years.
Mazda CEO Takashi Yamanouchi said the alliance of technology and product development is one of Mazda's goal, and cooperation with Fiat is an important step. The reason, Fiat is one manufacturer that has a high prestige in the manufacture of sports cars. In fact, they had long been active in Formula 1 with the name Ferrari.
Mazda MX-5 and MX-5 Roadster Coupe. (Picture from: http://www.greencarsite.co.uk/) |
"The latest generation Roadster based on MX-5, because this is our best seller models in the sport cars segment," he said.
After taking control of Chrysler two years ago, Fiat was looking for automotive partners from Asia. This significant step to increase their sales globally.
Pininfarina-Alfa Romeo Spider. (Picture from: http://www.autoguide.com/) |
"Mazda has long developed a rear-wheel-drive roadster with attractive design. We are ready to cooperate with Mazda and hope to maintain this beneficial relationship on an ongoing basis," said Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne,.
The Fiat-Chrysler profile. (Picture from: PIKIRAN RAKYAT 15062012) |
Sergio Marchionne said 2013 was the year when Fiat-Chrysler alliance will be a major automotive company in the global market.
Marchionne has prepared a variety of strategies to raise the sales numbers. One is to revive the Alfa Romeo brand in the U.S. market. Next is launching a new product with Chrysler and Fiat brands.
"2013 was a great year for us to compete competitively with Japanese and U.S. companies. For that we have prepared a series of updates on the 2013 product portfolio," said Marchionne.
Fiat now owns 53.5 percent of Chrysler stock, and the rest is owned by affiliates of retiree healthcare trust and the United Auto Workers (UAW). *** [OVI | PIKIRAN RAKYAT 15062012]