Fiat Auto and GM Europe have agreed to set up a joint project centre for developing specific common components and systems as a basis for engineering their future small vehicles.
The company said in a statement that the joint development effort is focused only on components and technology that ‘will not impact the brand specificity of the respective future vehicles and will allow the companies to realise significant efficiencies’.
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The output of this joint effort will eventually be used by the companies’ respective engineering centres as a starting basis for engineering vehicles unique to each brand.
A dedicated joint project centre is currently being established in Turin. It will be headed by Ulrich Schmalohr, currently Opel’s Chief Engineer for Small Cars, while Giorgio Cornacchia of Fiat Auto will assume responsibility as Chief Engineer in the new joint development team, which is starting work immediately.
In total, around 100 engineers and other personnel coming from both companies will be dedicated to this activity.
Fiat and GM formed a strategic industrial alliance in March 2000, aimed at achieving significant synergies in areas such as purchasing, powertrain, and financial services.
