Automobile industry in Italy

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Fiat 3½HP (1899) is the first model of car produced by Fiat.
Fiat 3½HP (1899) is the first model of car produced by Fiat.

The automobile industry in Italy is a quite large employer in the country, with a labour force of over 196,000 (2004) working in the industry.[1] Italy is the 5th largest automobile producer in Europe (2006).[2] Today the Italian automotive industry is almost totally dominated by Fiat Group, in 2001 over 90% of vehicles were produced by it. Italian automotive part industry covers over 2,131 firms and employs almost 250,000 people in 2006.[3] Italy's automotive industry is best known of its automobile designs and sports and supercars. The automotive industry makes a significant 8.5% to Italian GDP.[4]

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] The beginnings

The automobile industry in Italy started little bit later than in France, the Stefanini-Martina of 1896 is thought of as the foundation of the industry.[5]Enrico Bernardi built petrol fuelled tri-cycle car in 1884. Fiat SpA was founded in 1899 and built its first car in same year the 3½HP (or 4HP) with a 679 cc engine and capable of 35 km/h (22 mph).[6] The Isotta Fraschini was founded in 1900 assembling first Renault models.

Soon the automobile industry was getting bigger and many companies were founded: Zust, Aquila Italiana, Diatto, Itala, SPA and Società Anonima Italiana Darracq.

[edit] Production figures

Italian motor vehicle production 1997-2006[1]
(100,000 units)
Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19  
1997   1827592
1998   1692737
1999   1704326
2000   1741478
2001   1581908
2002   1429678
2003   1324481
2004   1145181
2005   1038352
2006   1211594
Italian motor vehicle production 1961-1996[7]
(100,000 units)
Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19  
1961   759000
1971   181700
1981   143300
1991   187800
1994   153400
1995   166700
1996   154500
Italian motor vehicle production 1913-1935[8]
(1,000 units)
Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19  
1913   2
1924   35
1928   55
1935   44


Italian automobile manufacturers include:

Defunct manufacturers:

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b The World's Automotive Industry. oica.net. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  2. ^ MOTOR VEHICLE PRODUCTION IN EUROPE BY COUNTRY. acea.be. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  3. ^ ITALY'S AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY IS BACK ON THE ROAD THANKS TO EXPORTS. italtrade.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  4. ^ Country Profiles > ITALY. acea.thisconnect.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-09.
  5. ^ Other European developments. britannica.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  6. ^ The history of Fiat. carsfromitaly.net. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  7. ^ Table 1-22: World Motor Vehicle Production, Selected Countries. bts.gov. Retrieved on 2008-02-04.
  8. ^ J. Bradford DeLong. Slouching Towards Utopia?: The Economic History of the Twentieth Century. econ161.berkeley.edu. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
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