Fiat Car Company - Turin Headquarters | Back |
Fiat is a transnational company with its headquarters in Turin, Italy. Cars are one of Italy's main exports. Car manufacturing employs thousands of people.
Here is a bit of an interview with Senor Montezemol managing director of Fiat. Try to work out the missing questions that led to the answers.
Reporter: When did Fiat start up?
Montezemol: The Agnelli family created the company in Turin in 1888
Reporter:
Montezemol: We began making cheap small cars over a century ago.
Reporter:
Montezemol: Yes but over the years we have diversified into making trucks, trains and even aircraft. But, Si, they are all connected with transport.
Reporter:
Montezemol: Fiat has had to make tough decisions at times. In 1980 we made 32,000 workers redundant. We had to in order to stay competitive with foreign car makers.
Reporter:
Montezemol: Yes like other makers we use industrial robots to replace people - they are cheaper and faster. We started this back in the 1980's.
Reporter:
Montezemol: No, many smaller firms, here and in southern Italy make parts or components for us. In our factories in Turin we assemble all the parts together.
Reporter:
Montezemol: Workers in southern Italy will accept lower wages.
Reporter:
Montezemol: Manufacturing industry is more widespread. More and more factories are outside the Industrial Triangle of Turin, Milan and Genoa now.
Reporter:
One of the reasons is that businesses can have more room more cheaply than in the crowded traffic congested old industrial areas.
Reporter: Grazie Senor
Montezemol: Prego - You are welcome - I didn't know you spoke Italiano.
Work with  a partner and work out an interview with Senor Montezemol the managing director of Fiat. Make it fun but make sure it includes some facts. Your interview should last two minutes when you perform it in class. One of you could be a journalist, or a passenger on an airplane or a waitress in a cafe and you just happen to get talking to Senor M. Use information from all of our work on Fiat.