Maserati Boom Signals Fiat Saying Ciao to Its Italian Past: Cars

Remember Fiat? It made its name building millions of modest cars like the tiny 500 and 600 hatchbacks in the 1960s and ’70s. Sergio Marchionne wants you to forget that Fiat.

With the automaker now the full owner of U.S.-based Chrysler, Marchionne -- the chief executive officer of the group -– is shifting away from the European mass market and, in the process, reshaping Italian industry. To understand his vision, travel to Grugliasco, a suburb of Fiat’s hometown of Turin.