THE remarkable revival of Fiat began with the popularity of the Grand Punto, continued with the new Bravo and switched into overdrive with the euphoria surrounding the recent arrival of the Fiat 500 that is European Car of the Year 2008.
The company has just announced record profits at a time when others are stacking up record debts and there are plans for a raft of new models.
Biggest news of the moment is the fanfare arrival of the cute little Fiat 500, which is being hailed as the ultimate city car.
Pundits had been predicting prices starting at almost £10,000 but the company has given the entry model a sticker price of just £7,900.
That is for the 1.2-litre petrol model generating 69bhp, which falls midway between the prices of the equivalent 1.2-litre 64bhp and 79bhp Nissan Micras at £7,495 and £8,795 respectively.
At the top end of the range a highly specified version of the Fiat 500 with a larger 1.4-litre petrol engine or 1.3-litre diesel unit costs £10,700 including air conditioning and alloy wheels.
There are three trim levels of Pop, Sport and Lounge.
Standard equipment in the entry-level Pop includes front, side and driver's knee airbags, CD and MP3 players, power steering, electric mirrors, colour-coded bumpers and chrome-plated door handles.
Sport and Lounge versions start at £9,300, while specifying a larger engine in any trim level adds £1,400.
The Grande Punto range has been expanded with the new 1.4 T-Jet 120 Sporting model.
The T-Jet petrol engine uses the latest turbocharging technology to maximise power and torque with relatively low emissions and fuel consumption.
Available in three and five-door versions, it is based on the range's Sporting trim level and comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, sports seats, leather steering wheel, chrome tailpipe, spoiler and side skirts, electronic stability control and half a dozen air bags.
It also features Fiat's voice-activated music and communications system, Blue & Me, developed in conjunction with Microsoft.
The 1,368cc petrol powerplant is one of a new family of turbocharged T-Jet engines that made their debut in Fiat's new Bravo range. Producing 120bhp and 152lb/ft of torque, this engine gives the Grande Punto a 0-60mph acceleration time of 8.8 seconds and a top speed of 120mph with economy of 40mpg and a CO2 figure of 155g/km.
List prices are £12,395 for the three-door model and £12,995 for the five-door version.
The Bravo hatch range comes with a wide choice of engines including 1.9-litre turbodiesel MultiJets of 120 and 150bhp, a 1.4-litre petrol unit developing 90bhp and a new family of 1.4-litre turbocharged T-JET petrol engines of 120 and 150bhp combining low fuel consumption with 130mph performance.
Other Fiat models include the Panda, Doblo, Multipla and Sedici.