On-going talks between Fiat and Bertone over the latter building a niche 'coupe-convertible' have come to an unsuccessful conclusion, suggest reputable Italian news sources, plunging the future of the firm's historic engineering division into much doubt. Leading Italian news agency ANSA yesterday quoted Piedmontese regional trade union sources as reporting that 2,000 workers' jobs at the Bertone assebly plant in Grugliasco (Turin) will now be lost. An extraordinary meeting of the Board of Directors of Bertone has been called for next Wednesday (28th March) when the 95-year-old firm's future immediate should become clearer.

The famous Italian design and engineering firm was founded in 1912 by Giovanni Bertone as a company initially specialising in building horse drawn carriages. Since the death of his son, Nuccio, who went on to build the family firm into a worldwide brand name, exactly ten years ago his widow Lilli has taken over control, determined to secure his legacy and return the company to strong health. Projects that have sustained Bertone this decade include building coupé and convertible versions of the Opel Astra coupe just after the turn of the century, the innovative BMW C1 scooter, and most recently a strictly limited-edition version of the Mini, know as the John Cooper Works Grand Prix.

Last year in Geneva Bertone presented a 'coupé-cabriolet' concept car closely based on the mechanicals of the Fiat Grande Punto, hoping to persuade Fiat to allow them to produce it in order to tap into the explosive demand for these new type of cars which incorporate a folding steel hardtop frame which allow the coupé - at the flick of a switch by the driver - to become a convertible; a demand which has recently been exploited by other major carmakers including Renault, Peugeot and Volvo. The Bertone Suagnà, as the concept was known, intended to bring new levels of roominess and interior comfort to this niche category, and it was also shown at Ville d'Este and the Paris Motor Show last year.
 

Fiat management however quickly dismissed the idea of it being economically feasible to build the Suagnà badged as a Fiat Grande Punto, but instead put it forward as one of the string of design proposals being considered for a planned "niche" Lancia vehicle, with targeted production of around 40,000 units per year. However the Suagnà isn't believed to have ever been a front-runner amongst the many proposals, which reportedly are now down to a choice between a new small sports-coupé or large flagship model, although Lille Bertone is believed to have been ready to underwrite the whole development project.

Bertone have recently also been in talks with the Russian owner of sportscar maker TVR over final assembly being switched from Blackpool in the UK to the Grugliasco plant, although the major complications in the ownership of the brand name have seen these hopes evaporating. Bertone is also considering building a camper van on an Iveco chassis that would be badged and marketed by Bertone.

Emphasising the historic relationship between Bertone and Fiat, which has lasted for more than eighty years and has generated more than fifty models counting concept cars, one-offs and production cars, from the 850 Spider to the X1/9, Ritmo Cabrio and Punto Cabrio, a new Panda-based 'Barchetta' concept was unveiled by Bertone at the 77th Geneva Motor Show earlier this month as they celebrated their 95th anniversary.