About Italian and French Brands
Italy and France have given the automobile much of its soul. Italy contributed the red racing car, the mid-engined supercar and the conviction that a machine can be as beautiful as a sculpture, through Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and Alfa Romeo and the coachbuilders who dressed them. France contributed some of the boldest engineering in history, from Citroen's front-drive Traction Avant and hydropneumatic DS to Renault's turbocharged Formula 1 pioneers and Peugeot's long run of rally and endurance winners.
Between them the two countries also turned the small car into an art form. The Fiat 500, the Citroen 2CV, the Renault 4 and 5 and Peugeot's long line of hatchbacks put postwar Europe on wheels, and their descendants still crowd the narrow streets of Rome and Paris. Lancia's rally-winning Stratos, 037 and Delta Integrale, Alpine's featherweight A110 and Alfa Romeo's sporting sedans gave enthusiasts plenty to argue about over an espresso or a glass of wine, and still do.
Today most of these marques live under a handful of roofs. Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Peugeot and Citroen all belong to Stellantis, formed in 2021 by the merger of Fiat Chrysler and PSA, which has struggled to give each brand a distinct role. Renault runs its own group with Alpine and Dacia, Lamborghini belongs to Volkswagen's Audi, and Ferrari, independent and publicly listed since its spin-off from Fiat Chrysler, has become one of the most valuable carmakers on earth by building fewer cars than it could sell.
The news across these brands runs from Ferrari's first electric car and Lamborghini's hybrid supercars to the revival of small, affordable EVs such as the Renault 5 and Fiat Grande Panda, Lancia's comeback attempt, Maserati's struggles and the future of Stellantis's Italian factories. It is a region where heritage is both a sales tool and a burden, and where every new model is judged against a past that few other countries can match.