51-year-old Luppi has been constantly linked with a top job at Fiat since CEO Paolo Cantarella was ousted earlier this year, and with the creditor banks believed to have been demanding a change of CFO, Clermont's removal has been inevitable. Luppi is regarded as "investor friendly" is close to the Agnelli's, the biggest Fiat shareholders. From 1984 to 1996 he managed the Agnelli family trust, Ifil, which owns a 12.2% stake in the company. He then moved on to Worms & Cie, a French conglomerate in which the Agnelli's own 52.7% and is credited with boosting profits.

Perricone will report directly to President Montezemolo. 55 year old Antonello Perricone has vast experience in the finance, advertising and publishing sectors, having previously been the Managing Director and General Manager of SIPRA ( the Italian TV RAI group’s advertising agency ) where he has worked for the past seven years.

With Luca di Montezemolo expected to enter politics in due course, the appointment of a close ally as head of the group's main subsidary is seen by observers as possibly grooming Perricone for the top job.

In a seperate move Maurizio Parlato, previously Managing Director of Ferrari Deutschland and Commercial and Marketing Director of the Ferrari-Maserati Group, has taken over the running of the North American branch of the Company. As CEO of Ferrari and Maserati North America, 40 year old Maurizio Parlato replaces Stuart Robinson, who has left the company, and will report to the board and President, Luca di Montezemolo. 

This is the latest step in a reorganisation of Ferrari in its most important overseas market. With the return of the Maserati brand and the defection of several top personnel to Lamborghini's new US operation, the company, based in New Jersey, has been restructuring its management and support for its 34-strong dealer network.

Brazil's Fiat operation has taken the largest share of the domestic vehicle market this year, with 172,000 unit sales during the first quarter of 2002. The biggest investment is US$500 million being spent at the Betim manufacturing plant, around a fifth of the amount being allocated to new vehicles, including the Stilo, which is expected to hit the Brazilian showrooms later this year.

Star of the Fiat's display is the Ducato Bipower, making its German debut. This vehicle can run on petrol or methane, simply switching when required, as it operates a common ignition system. Fiat's original multipoint methane system, the product of the company's research into alternative fuels adapts complex petrol engine electronics to operate methane as efficiently as possible.

A series of factors have forced the issue. It is believed that factoring stringent US safety and emission regulations into new models has caused problems and delays, particularly with the new Spider which was expected to lead the relaunch.

Initially Alfa Romeo were planning to relaunch the new Spider and GTV in 2005, these being joined by the 156 and 166 replacements as they came on stream. However with Fiat's enormous debts, funding an expensive US-wide advertising and promotional campaign for one model and subsidising the new dealer network until a full range becomes available is not viable.

With the 156 replacement due in 2004, the 166 in 2005, the 147 in 2006, and possibly a large 166-based coupe and SUV ( Sports Utility Vehicle ) in the pipeline, a 2007 relaunch will give Alfa Romeo the opportunity to introduce a full range of models.

With all these cars appearing on GM-developed platforms, and the US giant owning a 20% stake in Fiat, it is believed that they have taken an active role in the relaunch plans. Alfa Romeo withdrew from the US market in 1995.

Punto capacity will be slashed, leaving greater emphasis on the other two Italian plants were it is also produced, while the Mirafiori line will be adapted to accept the MPV "Monovolume" version, due out in early 2004.

Multipla production could be switched from Mirafiori to the Cassino plant in central Italy, where the Stilo line is running massively under capacity. Elsewhere Mirafiori's neighbouring redundant plant Rivalta will be mostly sold off, except some space being made available to Fiat's areospace division, while the small production line still running at the old Alfa Romeo at Arese converting Multiplas to LPG and methane will be switched elsewhere.

Evo expected great things from the Ferrari 575M, assuming it would pick up where the class leading 550 Maranello had left off, but found themselves disappointed and dismissed it first. Finding the Aston Martin not up to the Porsche or Lamborghini in any areas, they placed it third leaving the 911 and Murcielargo to go head to head.

Taking into account the Porsche's obvious major cost advantage, Evo were looking for no holds barred supercar thrills and spills and, with expense not being a factor, the Evo team put the Lamborghini Murcielargo on top, adding to the growing number of positive reports that this supercar has been receiving.

Fiat's sales figures in the domestic market saw it's share fall by 11.4% for the month year-on-year, cutting the auto manufacturer's market share to 30.2%, down from 32.1% a year ago.