《《FIAT：open innovation in a downtown 1993-2016》.pdf

Fiat: OPEN INNOVATION IN A DOWNTURN (1993-2003) Alberto Di Minin Federico Frattini Andrea Piccaluga n the midst of a worse than expected economic downturn, Italy sud- denly discovered that one of its companies had reached the status of worldwide excellence. Fiat Group Automobiles SpA (Fiat), the well- Iknown Italian carmaker, was able to weather the economic storm and astounded the world with its expansion plans and its partnership with Chrysler during such a climate. President Obama and his auto industry task force claimed on March 30, 2009, that “Chrysler’s best hope for revival lies in a proposed part- nership with Italy’s Fiat SpA.” One month later, on April 30, President Obama announced that “Chrysler and Fiat have formed a partnership that has strong chances of success. It’s a partnership that will save more than 30,000 jobs at Chrysler, and tens of thousands of jobs at suppliers, dealers, and other businesses 1 that rely on this company.” Although the future prospects of Chrysler are still 2 far from clear, the deal unquestionably testifies to the reputation that Fiat has gained on an international level. What is remarkable is that Fiat was not appointed by President Obama as Chrysler’s ideal partner because of its abundant cash flows or the cost-efficiency of its production system. One of the main driving factors behind the deal was the superiority of the Italian carmaker’s clean, fuel-efficient engine technologies. As Mr. Obama stated on April 30, “Fiat has demonstrated that it can build the clean, fuel-efficient cars that are the future of the industry, and as part of this agreement, Fiat has already agreed to transfer billions of dollars in cutting-edge technologies to Chrysler to help them do the same. Fiat is also committed to The opinions expressed in these pages rema