Fiat

largest car company in Italy

The charter of Societa Anonima Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (F.I.A.T.) was signed by Giovanni Agnelli and several investors on July 11, 1899; Agnelli subsequently led the company until his death in 1945. The company's first factory was opened in Carso Dante in 1900, with a workforce of 150 persons. A total of 24 cars were produced that year, most of them being the FIAT 3½ CV. The company name was officially changed to "Fiat" in 1906, the same year it expanded its product line to a total of 7 car models, as well as trucks, buses, trams, and marine engines. By 1910 Fiat was the largest car company in Italy, and it remains so this day.

The first Fiats were imported into the United States in 1908. The cost of a Fiat in the U.S. was initially $4,000 and rose up to $6,400 in 1918, compared to $825 for a Ford Model T in 1908, and $525 in 1918.

The Fiat Pages http://www.carsfromitaly.net/fiat/index.html
Life In Italy http://www.lifeinitaly.com/italian-cars/fiat-history.asp

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