| Following the end of the Benito Mussolini's rule of Italy in | | | | Romania, Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. |
| 1945, the Agnelli family, led by Fiat's founder and | | | | Importantly Fiat, with its fuel efficient cars, was able to |
| chairman Giovanni Agnelli, lost control of the Fiat motor | | | | take advantage of the 1979 oil crisis, when fuel prices |
| company because of their links with the dictatorship. | | | | rocketed, by winning record sales in the United States. |
| Eventually the family regained control of the business | | | | However, as oil prices stabilised and subsequently fell, |
| in 1963 when Giovanni's grandson, Gianni Agnelli, took | | | | they lost their share of the American market and by |
| the helm.having assumed control Gianni set about | | | | 1984 had pulled out of the country. |
| restructuring Fiat's management, making it much less | | | | Back in Europe however the Italian giants continued |
| centralised. Car and lorry and tractor production were | | | | swallowing up its rivals. Alfa Romeo were taken over |
| effectively made independent of one another. The | | | | in 1986, and in 1993 Maserati. The acquisition of |
| more flexible regime allowed Fiat to plan its expansion | | | | Maserati allowed the Fiat name to re-enter the United |
| and in 1967 it took over fellow Italian concern | | | | States market in 2002 and sales since then across the |
| Autobianchi. The takeover allowed the company to | | | | Atlantic have been healthy. |
| overtake German competitor Volkswagen in sales and | | | | The late 1990s saw a market shift and the companys |
| by 1968 revenue exceeded $2 billion. | | | | tumbling share value led to them appointing General |
| The following year Fiat expanded further, taking a | | | | Electric chief Paolo Fresco as chairman in 1998. |
| controlling interest in Italian rivals Ferrari and Lancia and | | | | However, Fresco's initiatives faced opposition from the |
| was being seen quite capable of taking the lead over | | | | firm's trade unions. Despite the opposition, Fresco |
| the American powerhouse of Detroit in the race for | | | | pressed on and in 2000 he initiated a joint venture with |
| car production dominance. | | | | the American company General Motors, which saw |
| Fiat also continued diversifying its operations becoming | | | | GM gain a stake in Fiat Auto - the company's car |
| owners of the Italian airline Alitalia, major toll roads, as | | | | division. However, within five years the partnership |
| well as office supply and electrical equipment | | | | was ended. |
| companies. They also had assets in the Soviet Union, | | | | More recently a takeover of General Motors |
| constructing the AvtoVAZ plant where the Lada, | | | | European division, GM Europe, has been mooted. |
| based on the Fiat 124, was manufactured. Elsewhere | | | | However, a major part of GM Europe, Opel/Vauxhall, |
| in Eastern Europe, the company had stakes in | | | | was subsequently taken over by Magna International. |