(Thu 24 Jan 08)

Just a few years after it came perilously close to financial collapse, the Fiat Group posted its highest ever trading profit of €3.2 billion in 2007.

That figure refers to the Group as a whole, which does a lot more than just build cars. But the car side was particularly successful. Fiat Group Automobiles (including Fiat itself as well as Alfa Romeo and Lancia) made a trading profit of €803 million, or nearly three times the 2006 figure.

Ferrari and Maserati are considered separately in the accounts. Ferrari profits were up by 45% to €266 million, thanks mainly to the F430 and 599 GTB models, while Maserati, with the help of the new Quattroporte automatic, GranTurismo and Quattroporte Sport GTS, made €24 million, having lost slightly more than that in the previous year.

A large part of Fiat Group's success comes from the performance of CNH (agricultural and construction equipment) and Iveco (trucks and commercial vehicles), which made trading profits of €990 million and €813 million respectively. The FPT Powertrain Technologies and Magneti Marelli businesses both did better than in 2006, not least because there were more Fiat Group cars and Iveco vehicles to supply.

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