Italian car brands
In terms of automobile production, Italy is somewhere at the end of the top twenty, and Italian cars are not as popular in the world as, for example, Japanese or German cars. Do you know what cars are made in Italy? Most likely you will immediately remember the most famous sports cars of Maserati, Lamborghini and Ferrari brands, which are admired by the whole world. They, of course, best reflect the Italian temperament, but still the leader of the Italian market is not them, but the manufacturer of budget and practical cars Fiat.
Italy, although not leading the world market, has a huge influence on it, as this country is considered to be the trendsetter of unique design in the automotive industry. Regardless of the class, Italian cars look bright and attractive, setting high standards for car designers all over the world.
All brands of cars in Italy
Most people know only 2-3 Italian automobile brands, but meanwhile there are seventeen such brands, and each of them deserves a separate story:
- Alfa Romeo;
- Ferrari;
- LAFERRARI
- Fiat;
- Iveco;
- Lamborghini;
- Lancia;
- Maserati;
- Abarth;
- B. Engineering;
- Bremach;
- Pagani;
- Gruppo Bertone;
- Fornasari;
- Covini Engineering;
- Dr. Motor Company;
- Grecav.
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo is one of the loudest names among the representatives of the Italian automobile industry. Ugo Stella and Alexander Darrak (two civil engineers) founded the company in Milan in 1910 and gave it the name Alfa, which stood for "Anonymous Automobile Factory of Lombardy". The company's factory began producing cars suitable for the difficult mountain roads of Italy. They were developed by Italian automobile designer Giuseppe Merosi, who had previously worked at Fiat.
From the very beginning of its work, the company set a course for the production of sports, racing cars, and a year later the first prototype of a racing car was announced for participation in the races in Sicily. Later, the company was headed by Italian designer Nicola Romeo, whose name was immortalized in the brand name.
Today Alfa Romeo produces premium class cars. The company's head office is located in Turin.
Ferrari
A legendary Italian brand, whose cars have been a huge success in Formula 1. The company was founded in 1939 in the city of Maranello (here and now the main office is located) by the famous Italian racing driver and automobile designer Enzo Ferrari, who together with the team had previously cooperated with Alfa Romeo. The main focus of the company was sports racing cars, and in 1947 it began producing sports cars authorized for use on public roads.
A great deal of attention is paid to the design of cars. The best bodybuilding companies of the world, in particular Touring and Pininfarina, worked on the brand's cars. Ferrari's signature color is red. Ferrari is the only company in the world whose cars participated in all Formula 1 races.
LaFerrari
LaFerrari is the successor to the famous Ferrari, which in 2013 released one of the most anticipated cars in the global automotive community - a hybrid hypercar LaFerrari. The car came out in a limited series - only 499 copies. The cost of the car is exorbitant, nevertheless all the cars were sold out. And in 2016, for the purpose of charity, the 500th LaFerrari sports car was released, which was sold for 7 million dollars. Used cars of this brand not only do not lose in price, but also become even more expensive, as they have a high value for collectors.
Fiat
The Fiat automobile manufacturing company was founded in 1899. It can be considered the founder of the Italian car industry, it is the oldest car brand from Italy. In 2007, the Fiat Group was formed, which today owns the Italian brands Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, as well as the American Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep. The headquarters of the brand is located in Turin.
Fiat is well known for its budget practical cars, its cars are very popular in Europe. The most popular Fiat models are Panda, Punto and Grande Punto, Uno or Bravo. New models of the brand are already more modern, meet new trends in technology and design, so they were well received not only in Europe, but also in the United States.
Iveco
It is an Italian automobile manufacturing company that specializes in the production of industrial vehicles - buses, trucks, engines for diesel power plants, fire trucks, minibuses, tractors, and dump trucks. Iveco was founded in 1975 and its headquarters are located in Turin, Italy. The list of the brand's achievements includes the Iveco Daily vehicle, which became the prototype of modern vans.
Since its foundation, the brand has been part of the Fiat industrial group, and throughout its activity it has cooperated with different automobile manufacturers in various forms.
Iveco currently has 50 plants and 15 R&D centers around the world. It produces and sells more than 160,000 trucks and more than 430,000 engines annually.
Lamborghini
Lamborghini was named after its founder, Ferruccio Lamborghini. The firm started its operations in 1963 and was created to compete with the then well-known Ferrari and Maserati. Despite the fact that it is a relatively young brand, its cars are popular all over the world. Already at the dawn of its activity, the company produced the fastest sports car Lamborghini Miura.
In the 70s, Lamborghini was on the verge of bankruptcy, was sold first to the Indonesian investment group Megatech, and then, in the late 90s, became part of the Volkswagen Group. The new owner retained the prestige and reputation of Lamborghini and contributed to the development of technology and design of the brand's cars. Today, roadsters, crossovers and sports coupes are produced under this brand.
Lancia
The first Lancia factory was founded by Claudio Foggiolino and Vincenzo Lancia in 1906 in Turin, where the brand's headquarters are still located. The company produced classic elegant cars, which were known mainly within the country. The second car produced by the brand already had electronic lighting, which was subsequently used in all Lancia cars.
The brand is one of the oldest in Italy. During its long history it has a long and successful experience of cooperation with Fiat, and since 1969 Lancia has been part of the Fiat Group industrial group. Since the mid-50s, the brand's cars have been taking part in various sporting competitions (Formula 1, Circuit Racing, Rally). On the account of the brand 32 models of cars, including trucks and military vehicles. Now the company produces only passenger cars.
Maserati
The brand was founded in 1914 and is headquartered in Modena, Italy. The company started its work with a small workshop opened by Alfieri Maserati. After the founder's death, it was sold to the Orsi family, which focused all production attention on the production of racing cars.
In 2014, Maserati celebrated a century since its foundation. Today the brand is part of the Fiat Chrysler industrial group. Each model of the brand is a real work of art, which conquers at first sight, and at closer acquaintance makes you its fan forever. Maserati produces prestigious executive and business class cars, as well as exclusive hypercars.
Abarth
Austrian engineer Carlo Abarth participated in the creation of sports cars together with Ferry Porsche, and in 1949 founded his own automobile manufacturing company, which began to bear his name. The headquarters of the brand is located in Turin.
The main specialization of the company was the production of sports and city cars. Abarth is fully owned by the Fiat concern, and all cars produced by it have the Fiat logo. The company released the last sports car of its own design under its own brand in 2012.
B. Engineering
Engineering is a small-series car manufacturer in Italy, which is backed by several automakers who previously worked for Bugatti. The company presented its first model in 2001 - the Edonis supercar based on the Bugatti EB110 Super Sport.
In addition to the production of sports cars, B. Engineering specializes in servicing its autos and Bugatti EB110, EB112, with which it has much in common, as well as servicing and selling components for Padane buses.
Bremach
Bremach Industry is an Italian manufacturer of special vehicles, more precisely special vehicles used for firefighting, rescue services in many countries of the world, off-road vehicles. In the years of prosperity, it was an automaker of global proportions, which deployed its business in more than 30 countries located on three continents. However, Bremach was declared bankrupt in 2018 and its prospects are currently unknown.
Pagani
Pagani is a company just over 30 years old. Its founder is Horacio Pagani, who was chief engineer at Lamborghini. Initially, the brand specialized in the design and restyling of cars of major car manufacturers. At the moment, the company with its headquarters in San Cesario sul Panaro is known as a manufacturer of quality sports cars and carbon fiber used in the automotive industry.
The first in-house car model, the Pagani Zonda, was introduced to the European market in 1999. It went through a lot of restyling, had many modifications, including an exclusive modification, the cost of which exceeded 15 million euros.
Gruppo Bertone
The experienced and well known Italian brand Gruppo Bertone started in 1912. Its founder is Giovanni Bertone. The main office of the company is located in Turin. The main direction of work of the brand is modeling and bodybuilding. Gruppo Bertone created unique designs for cars of such famous brands as Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo, Maserati. In the lineup of its own cars, the most popular was the Bertone Nuccio.
Fornasari
The founder of the brand is Giuseppe Fornasari. The company was founded in 1999 and its head office is located in Vicenza, Italy. The main direction of the brand is the production of off-road vehicles, sports cars and buggies. Fornasari models have an original design, which combines retro styles and futuristic body decor.
The firm has released few car models, but has developed unique concepts that can be used and have great success in the future. One of the most interesting models of the brand is a powerful SUV Fornasari RR99 (610 hp engine, which accelerates the car up to 280 km/h).
Covini Engineering
Covini Engineering is an automobile manufacturer founded in 1978 and still operating today, which has its headquarters in Corte Maggiore, Italy. The creator of the brand is engineer Ferruccio Covini. The main direction of production is sports cars.
Many interesting and noteworthy car models have come out of the Covini Engineering assembly line. Among them is the world's first sports car (Sirio Turbo Cooler coupe) with a diesel engine, capable of reaching a speed of 200 km/h. The pearl of the Covini Engineering range was the Covini C6W, which was equipped with 3 pairs of wheels.
Dr. Motor Company
The young Dr Motor Company brand was founded by Italian car racer Massimo de Rossi in 2006. The main idea of the brand is to create affordable cars with signature Italian design from parts and components of other (mostly Chinese) automobile manufacturers.
In 2007, the brand introduced its first crossover DR5 equipped with a Cherry motor. In addition to the development of its own cars, the Dr Motor Company's plants have been used to produce the entire Cherry model range, which allowed the firm to become one of the largest automakers in Italy. Now the company has more than 70 dealers on the territory of Italy, and the production volume reaches 100 cars per day.
Grecav
We owe the emergence of the new Grecav car company in 1962 to the merger of two small car companies - Cavaletti and Fratelli. The company's head office is located in Gonzaga (Lombardy region, Italy).
The company's first projects could hardly be called full-fledged cars. They were modified motorcycles on three wheels, which became widespread in the 70s in Cambodia, Thailand and Venezuela and were called motorcycle rickshaws. In the 90s, the main attention of the brand was focused on the production of minicars. However, the real success it achieved in the production of high-quality and demanded agricultural machinery. Grecav maize cutterbars are in great demand, and the manufacturer offers unique conditions - the possibility of customizing the cutterbar.
Italian automakers that no longer make cars
These car brands of Italy stopped producing cars and forever remain in the history of the Italian car industry:
- AUTOBIANCHI.
- ISOTTA FRASCHINI.
- DE TOMASO.
- BIANCHI (AutoBianchi).
AUTOBIANCHI
The brand was created by the Fiat Group and existed for 40 years: from 1955 to 1995. The company's head office was located in Milan. It produced mainly small cars, which were even more popular than Fiat cars. Innovative developments were tested on the brand's models. At first, the company was successful, but eventually it could not stand competition with more modern brands. It ended its activities and ceased to exist as a result of a merger with Lancia.
ISOTTA FRASCHINI
This car concern was at the origin of the Italian car industry. It was founded in Milan in 1900 and ceased operations as a result of the world crisis after World War II in 1949. The founders of the company were Cesare Isotta and the Fraschini brothers (Antonio, Orestes and Vincenzo). Until the early 40s, the company was among the most popular Italian automobile brands. At the factory ISOTTA FRASCHINI created luxury cars, which even today have a great value for true connoisseurs. In addition to prestigious cars, the company produced parts for cars, aircraft and marine engines, as well as spare parts for them.
DE TOMASO
This automaker ended its operations very recently, in 2004. DE TOMASO was founded by Alejandro de Tomaso in 1959 in Modena, Italy. Initially, the production was focused on the production of prototypes of city and racing cars. Later, since 1970, the production of its own cars began. There was a period in the history of the brand when it was the owner of Maserati.
BIANCHI (AutoBianchi)
BIANCHI is the world's very first bicycle manufacturing company, started in Milan in 1885. Its founder was Edoardo Bianchi. In addition to bicycles, the company also produced motorcycles. In 1955, the brand merged with Fiat Group, which gave rise to a new automobile company AUTOBIANCHI, which existed until 1995.
The most popular Italian cars
To give you an idea of what cars are produced in Italy, we offer you the TOP of the most popular Italian cars:
- Fiat 500.
- Fiat Panda.
- Lancia Voyager.
- Alfa Romeo Giulietta.
- Alfa Romeo Giulia.
- Lamborghini Urus.
- Lamborghini Aventador.
- Ferrari Portofino.
- Maserati Quattroporte.
- Maserati Ghibli.
Fiat 500
Compact three-door hatchback in retro style - Fiat 500 has a bright positive interior, excellent equipment options - gasoline 1.4 liter, 101 hp and electric car 113 hp. Model benefits:
- excellent traction;
- dynamics and maneuverability;
- practicality;
- economical in both fuel consumption and operation;
- non-trivial interior design, comfort, quality materials.
Fiat Panda
The Panda is a subcompact 5-door hatchback with front and all-wheel drive. The baby looks neat both inside and out. Despite the playful look, Panda remains one of the most favorite city cars for Italians, as it is very fast, practical and economical in operation. The base version features airbags for both driver and passenger, Isofix child seat mounts, ABS, multimedia with a 7-inch touchscreen, and standard climate control. The Panda's powertrains are 1.2L and 1.4L, with 65 and 85 hp.
Lancia Voyager
The Lancia Voyager is an M-class minivan, in the development of which Chrysler participated. In fact, it is a version of the American Chrysler Grand Voyager.
This comfortable car, equipped with a 178 hp diesel engine, confidently accelerates to 193 km/h and consumes only 8 liters per 100 km in mixed mode. The car has an impressive solid appearance and good technical equipment, three-zone climate control, transformable interior, which is very convenient for tourist trips and for a large family.
View Lancia Voyager from Italy
Alfa Romeo Giulietta
A legendary car, which has been produced since 1954. If you count restyling, it has gone through 5 modifications, each of which gave it a completely new, unique look. Modern Giulietta looks stylish and even futuristic. Hatchback, depending on the market, is equipped with different powertrains - gasoline turbo engines 1.4 liters (120, 150 and 170 hp), diesel engines 1.6 and 2.0 liters, 120 and 150 hp, as well as a sporty version with a turbo engine 1.75 liters, 240 hp.
A variety of motors in the equipment, advanced chassis, stylish design - the main advantages of the model.
Alfa Romeo Giulia
Italian sedan Alfa Romeo GiuliaD-class is produced since 2016. The car is equipped with quite powerful power units - 130-510 hp. In the exterior, the features of Italian style are clearly visible. The car turned out to be very interesting from a technical point of view, in terms of components and program equipment.
View Alfa Romeo Giulia from Italy
Lamborghini Urus
The K3 premium full-size crossover is considered the fastest among its class rivals. The brand's characteristic traits are evident in its entire appearance. The crossover combines dynamics, practicality, functionality, luxury and comfort. It has excellent dynamic characteristics, large, but well-driven power. Under the hood of Lamborghini Urus is a four-liter V8 with 650 hp, which accelerates the car to a hundred in 3.6 seconds.
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Lamborghini Aventador
Among production cars, the Lamborghini Aventador is the most powerful and fastest (770 hp, 350 km/h). In addition to its technical perfection, it has excellent handling and is built using innovative materials and the most advanced technical and electronic innovations.
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Ferrari Portofino
The coupe convertible is a perfect example of Italian temperament realized in the stylish, fast and luxurious Portofino. The V8 engine produces 600 hp, and consumes only 10.5 liters of gasoline per 100 km. The car is productive, reliable, comfortable, stylish, feels great in the city and on the highway.
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Maserati Quattroporte
The luxury sedan has been produced by Maserati since 1963. The Quattroporte is distinctive and elegant. In the latest sixth generation, it has become more spacious and comfortable, including for rear passengers. The base version is equipped with a 6-cylinder 410 hp engine, with which the car accelerates to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds.
The advantages of the model are practicality combined with luxury, comfortable driving, good dynamics, modern audio system, excellent soundproofing.
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Maserati Ghibli
Maserati is the most pathos and one of the most expensive car brands. Everyone admires the models of this brand, but few people could afford to buy them. Until the Maserati Ghibli appeared. Powerful (330 hp), fast (263 km/h), dynamic (acceleration to a hundred in 5.6 seconds), productive, comfortable, functional and at the same time - the most affordable 4-5-seat sedan in the brand's lineup.
View Maserati Ghibli from Italy