Fiat marketing chief Luca De Meo is rumored to have been selected to head up marketing for the Volkswagen Group. De Meo, who was hand-selected by Fiat Group boss Sergio Marchionne, is credited with relaunching Fiat to its current level of success. Volkswagen has long said it wants some Italian-style passion and energy injected into its portfolio and De Meo could be just the man the company needs.
VW has gone shopping for executives in Italy before: Head of design for all of the automaker’s brands, Walter de’Silva was brought in from Alfa Romeo, as well.
De Meo is best known for the Fiat Nuova 500, which is essentially an upmarket, expressively-styled Fiat Panda. It has been a runaway sales success and, at 2,000 euros more than an equivalent Panda, it has kept Fiat’s bean counters happy.
Marchionne, well respected as the captain of the forward-charging Fiat ship, has said that losing one of his hand-selected executives would be a massive blow for the company. Yet since 2005, Marchionne has lost four of his executives. Three moved on to non-competitive ventures, but only De Meo would be leaving the company to work for Fiat’s biggest competitor.
01/15, 9:23 AM
posted by:
Jon Luc
Such is life in the executive world. Corporations change them more often then they do their undies.
01/15, 10:11 AM
posted by:
mayer_ray_nagin
Home for the fleas, a hive for the buzzing bees!
01/15, 10:19 AM
posted by:
Borat
This may signal acquisition of FIAT by VW. Axes at work. FIAT has been stating for a while that they will not be able to survive on their own.
01/15, 11:15 AM
posted by:
howsmydriving
Going from Fiat to VW should be an easy transition: neither company is particularly committed to quality control.
01/15, 1:55 PM
posted by:
beemerdude
The guy in the pic looks about 14 years old!!!
01/16, 6:50 AM
posted by:
KuroSyn
De Meo is respected in Italy, he really did bring Fiat back to a success. Good Luck at VW.
01/31, 1:38 PM
posted by:
gti_fly_by
“looks about 14 years old!!!!”…..ah, youth! Coming from a 41 year old (I dunno, about 20ish on the inside), I say that youth is where it’s at. Not to say that old is bad, but youth often brings fresh ideas ready for the world as it is and ready for the world as it will be.
I’ll always look to “the kids” (and the kids at heart) for the “now.” Heck, I’ll look to them for the “future.” I attribute my 2000 GTI and my 2008 GTI to keepin’ it real for me.
I’m an American with a passion and killer respect for German engineering. I guess that is why I’m lovin’ my VW #7. Those dubs that start their VIN with WVW anyway!
I suppose that my driveway will forever be, “Respresenting Deutschland.”